Mirrors
by NorthEasternSpirit
Summary: The eight eon students of the dorm are anything but ordinary. One of them is a secret government weapon, another one is technically dead. All of them have secrets, and when a series of murders and kidnappings seems to revolve around the group, nobody will be able to hide anymore. When they discover a hidden alternate reality, they realize that their worst enemies may be one another
1. Prologue

Prologue

_November 13, 2014_

"Four dead students… I just don't get it. Who is doing this? Why are they doing this?" An older looking Arcanine paced around a small room. About 15 high school students sat around the table. He slammed his hands on the table. "C'mon! You 15 were appointed dorm leaders to keep the students under control! We know it's somebody within the campus! How can you not know who is doing it?"

Some murmuring among the students started up. "How do we know it's a student?" asked one of them. She was a small Sandslash.

"Fira, We already discussed the odds of it being somebody outside of the school. It's slightly above 3.2%," said a Kadabra.

"Akura, we don't need your logic!" A Lucario summoned an aura sphere that floated above his palm. "We need force!"

"Let's stop arguing, kids!" The principal's annoyed voice rose out over all the others. The dorm heads all stopped bickering, and looked at the principal. "You are all required to report any suspicious activity to me, immediately. Am I clear?"

"Yes, we will."

"Of course, sensei."

"I guess…"

"Meeting dismissed." The Arcanine stood up and sat in the corner of the room, contemplating the issue at hand.

"See you, Fira."

"Yeah yeah. Baraya sensei is such a…"

"Weight-lifting tomorrow, Tsuyo?"

"You bet, bro. I can bench 340 now."

As the students left the room, the principal motioned for one of the students. "Rakachi. Need to talk to you."

"Yes, sensei?" The Vaporeon student head adjusted his glasses.

The Arcanine handed over a paper. "We've got a transfer for your dorm. Read it, please."

_Keira Yamano_

_Species: Espeon_

_Age: 15_

_Height: 5'4_

_Birth Date: 5-25-1999_

_Transferring from__ Osaka_

"Osaka?" The head blinked. "That's pretty far from here."

"Her mother moved here with her after a divorce. She'll be coming tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" exclaimed the head. "But…" He sighed. "I'll let Saki know."

The principal sighed. "Alright, take care of your students, Rakachi. I'm counting on all of you heads."

"Of course, sensei." He adjusted his glasses before leaving the principal to himself.

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"What?! Tomorrow?" Saki Anako, a pretty Leafeon, glared at Ryuji.

He shrugged. "Not my problem. It's just Principal H."

The Leafeon pouted. "You always do this, Ryuji! Me and the girls were going to try eat at the new ramen place!"

"I'm sorry… I've got Kendo practice. Could you please welcome her?"

"Fine, fine." The Leafeon sighed. She yawned. "It's late. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, Ryuji."

"Night, Saki."

He showered quickly and brushed his teeth. He looked at himself in the mirror. He rubbed his eyes, then crawled into his bed. The other males were all sleeping soundly. He looked at the clock on his nightstand. _11:13._ _Feels later than that. _He stretched out on his bed. _1… 2… me… okay, they're all here._ He sighed again. _I sure hope I don't lose any more friends… to… them…_

**Alright. This story… is different… I hope.**


	2. Ch-1

Chapter 1

_November 13, 2014_

_Dear Keira,_

_How are you girl? I hope your mother has been understanding of how difficult it on you. Moving away with you, taking a girl your age away from all her friends… I tried to change her mind, but to no avail._

_In addition to me being your father and all, I'm also giving this letter to you as a warning. In the past month, three students have been killed, and at the time of this letter, one is in critical condition in the hospital. Please be very careful, Keira. It could be anybody there._

_Dad_

"So, Keira… what did the letter say?" Her mother didn't look away from the wheel as she drove along a forest road.

Keira didn't say anything. She looked at the letter for a few more seconds, then put it back into the envelope. "Nothing much. Just said hi."

"Your aunt's house should be coming up soon." Just as her mother said that, the trees along the side stopped to reveal a town. They came to a red light, and her mother turned back to look at Keira. "Do you want to visit your new school, Keira?"

She shook her head. "That's alright. It's only a ten minute walk from aunt's house." She looked out the window again. _How boring…_

"Keira… you've been quiet, recently…"

"What do you expect, mom?" Keira glared at her. "You divorce from dad, you make me move all-"

"Keira, I'm sorry, and your dad is as well. But with all the arguing, it might be better this way."

Keira looked our the window again. "Yeah right."

They drove for about fifteen more minutes until they came to a small house. It had a large tree in the yard, and the garden was nicely kept.

Her mother, a Flareon, opened the car door. She sighed. "If you're grumpy, then just wait in the car for awhile. I'll take your stuff in."

Her mother closed the door, leaving Keira alone in the car. Keira herself sighed. She pulled out her phone, and sent out a text to Yari the Marill, her best friend.

_What's up?_

A minute later, she received a reply. _Not much. U?_

_What do u think? This town seems boring AF…_

_lol. I have to go now. Text u soon._

_Oh, alright. C u._

Keira sighed and put her phone in her pocket. She opened the door and stepped out of the car. She put her purse over her shoulder, then pulled her phone out again. _3:21._

She walked into the house, and pulled the door shut behind her.

"Keira! Oh my…" Her aunt Aki ran over and hugged her. Keira blinked before wrapping her arms around her aunt. "My god, you've certainly became quite the looker, dear…"

Keira blushed. "Th-thanks." Keira hated to admit it, but she had been that _one girl_ in her old school. She hated the fact that guys would always go crazy over her. It was ridiculous, especially since she didn't like making a scene. Ultimately, she had rejected them all; a total of 33 guys 36 times. It wasn't that they were bad looking; none of them were quite _interesting_ enough to be worthwhile. All generic, cool guy wannabes. Not bad people by any means, but not spectacular really. And really, she wasn't even looking for a relationship. She had much more pressing issues; even more pressing than her parents' divorce. She was looking for someone who could explain those dark people in the mirror sometimes.

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_November 14, 2014_

"Please welcome Miss. Yamano kindly." Mr. Koshino, their homeroom teacher introduced Keira to the class.

"Hey, she's kind of cute…"

"Of course, Koshino sensei!"

"Why doesn't she speak?"

She could hear all the students whispering around her as she looked at her feet. _Why did you make me stand at the front of the class?_ "N-nice to meet you all."

"Alright everybody, be friendly to her okay? We don't want to make her feel lonely."

Keira sat down on a desk in the back corner of the class, near an open window. She stared out of it for a few seconds before she was distracted by a conversation two students next to her were having.

"Yeah… I heard that…"

"That's just a myth," although the voice didn't sound too sure.

"Oh no… it's real alright…"

Keira turned around to see who had been speaking, but the two students weren't talking anymore. She shivered as a cold breeze blew through the class

The teacher started speaking again. "As I'm sure all of your student heads have told you, please be very careful. You all know about the murders going on, and we recommend you all stay inside as much as possible. Homeroom is now dismissed."

As Keira stood up, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder. She froze, then turned around. Behind her was a female student. She was roughly the same height as Keira, and wore the school's navy skirt. She wore the red neckband 2nd years wore.

"Hi! I heard senpai mention that we'd have a new girl coming into our dorm! Wow, your eyes are so pretty! Your tail is so cute!"

"Umm… who are you?"

"Me? I'm Koyuki!" The Glaceon smiled at her. "I'm a 2nd year also… I've got some friends from our dorm, but most of them are upperclass… you want to eat lunch together with me?"

"I… uh, ok."

The two of them began to walk to Koyuki's locker. "Later tonight, after school, I'll introduce you to everybody else."

"Alright… I head from the principal… he said our dorm are all like-"

"Oh! Yeah, they are all evolutionary relatives of us! Isn't that cool?"

"Uh… I guess…"

"Hey, there's the new girl!" Keira tried to ignore the voice behind her, but she heard the voice speak to her. "What's up cuties?"

Koyuki narrowed her eyes. "What do you guys want?"

"Oh no… we know two cute girls like you two would love a quick way to make some money… hehe…"

Keira turned around. Behind her was a Quilava and a Grovyle. They wore red bands as well. "We're not interested!" said Koyuki.

"Quiet, Glaceon! Let her speak for herself… although it's quite a shame you won't join in… alright Espeon. What do you say you send us a few nudes for-"

"What's wrong?" A quiet, calm voice came from behind the two girls.

Koyuki turned around. "R-Ryujin senpai!"

Keira spun around. Behind her was a Vaporeon who wore a white neckband; a 3rd year. He had thin glasses and held a book in one hand.

"Are these two giving you problems?" he asked Koyuki as he adjusted his glasses.

"Umm, no we weren't! Eh, we were just greeting the new girl! S-sorry senpai!" They both ran off down the hall.

Keira huffed. _Typical boys._ She looked at the Vaporeon who was talking to Koyuki. "Is this the new girl?"

"Y-yes." The Glaceon's voice was full of nervousness, and she couldn't look the Vaporeon in the eye.

He nodded, then turned to Keira. "Hi."

"Hello."

"I'm Ryujin Rakachi. I'm one of the student heads here. If I'm not mistaken, you're in our dorm, right?"

"Yes. The principal told me that our dorm leader was a Vaporeon. So it must be you."

He nodded thoughtfully, before saying, "You two want to eat lunch? My treat."

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"Isn't Rakachi senpai so cool?" Koyuki sighed. "He's so mysterious…"

"I don't know. He didn't really say much."

"What? You don't find him attractive? He's been asked out 15 times! And he's never had a girlfriend yet!"

Keira shrugged. "He's good looking. He seems bland though…"

"Bland?" Koyuki rolled her eyes. "He's captain of the Kendo team! He has a 4.1 GPA!"

"Well… I mean, that's cool. But still… I mean, he just seems…"

Koyuki sighed. "You sure have high expectations…"

Keira shrugged. "I don't really care how a guy looks… really, it depends on how interesting they are."

"Oh, so you're that kind of girl…"

Keira decided not to say anything. She didn't want to get a reputation by dissing Koyuki's apparent crush.

"Don't worry about it, Espeon."

Koyuki stuck her tongue out at the newcomer. "Kousei… of course."

"Hey, relax." An exceptionally good-looking Umbreon stepped up next to them. He had a pair of earphones around his neck, and a guitar was strapped to his back. "What's up? I'm Kousei."

He held a hand out to Keira. Keira looked at his hand for awhile before shaking it. "I'm Keira… I guess…"

"This is Mr. Annoying in his true form… if senpai is like a breath of fresh air, then this guy is-"

"Hey, quiet Koyuki!" He rubbed the back of his neck. "Koyuki and I are childhood friends, as well as neighbors. I'll mention that she gave me a kiss once back- OW! Hey, what was that for?!"

"Shut up!" Koyuki glared at him after she had slapped him. "We were only 13! And still Eevees!"

Keira smiled. "Hey, even the Keira thinks it's funny!"

"I can't believe you find this jerk funny!"

Keira flinched. "He seems nice enough…"

Kousei smiled. "Ah well… nice to meet you, Keira! I'll see you in our dorm tonight. Maybe I could show you how to play guitar or…" _RIIINNGG._ "Oh, there's the class bell. We should probably part ways…" He put his earphones over his ears and walked off.

_How curious…_ "I think I have math next, Koyuki… I'll be seeing you later."

"Oh, yeah. I've got PE next… alright…"

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"This is it?" Keira stared at the massive building in front of them.

"I know right? Pretty big, right?" Koyuki giggled. "Even you must be impressed by it."

Keira stared at it for awhile. "It's pretty impressive. How many are there in our dorm?"

"Our dorm is the only co-gender dorm… there are 7 of us. There is Saki senpai, a Leafeon. She's sort of like our mother, and Rakachi senpai refers to her when he's not here. Then there is senpai of course, then jerkface, then Rin, and Yusei! Then you and me!"

"I… I see…"

"One of the donors of this building only wanted Eeveelutions here, since he was one as well. So the seven of us get this awesome building! Alright. What are you waiting for? I heard senpai mention your mother dropped off everything a little earlier today."

"I know. We should be going in. I'm kind of curious," admitted Keira.

"Knew it! Not even one as quiet as you could contain this kind of excitement!"

They walked along the path. Koyuki pulled a key out of her pocket. "Oh right, when I talked to Ryujin senpai ealier, he asked me to give you your key." She pulled out a second key. "Here you go!"

Keira took the key and smiled. _Maybe this won't be so bad… maybe…_

**A brand new journey with new characters and brand new relationships!**


	3. Ch-2

Chapter 2

"You're not half bad," admitted Keira. "Or I guess I've heard a lot worse…"

Kousei frowned. "Ouch?" The two of them sat on a couch in the living quarters of the dorm. He strummed his guitar, playing a relaxed melody. "I've played guitar since I was in 4th grade. It's sort of my outlet," he admitted.

Keira nodded. "That's good. I haven't found any real passion, honestly. I can draw pretty well and sing okay, but…"

"That's pretty cool." He played a little jingle before he spoke again. "How come you and your mother moved here?"

She gaped. "How did you know?"

"Senpai told us all…"

Keira shook her head. "It doesn't matter." She was relieved when Koyuki called her.

"Keira! Come meet Saki-senpai!"

The Lefeon smiled as she met Keira. "How do you do? I'm Saki."

"Hi. I'm Keira."

Saki looked up thoughtfully. "I sure hope Ryujin told you everything…"

"He didn't talk much, honestly."

The Leafeon rolled her eyes. "Of course. He hardly talks to me even. I thought he'd at least try help out a new student." She shook her head. "Well then, I suppose you could try and move all your st-"

"Koyuki already helped me move everything into my room," said Keira.

"Really? Hmm… Alright then! Koyuki!"

"Yeah?" The Glaceon came down the stairs. She yawned and rubbed her eyes. "I'm so sleepy…"

"Can you go shopping? I'm going to marinate the vegetables right now."

"Fine… can I bring Keira with me?"

"Sure. If that's okay with her…"

Keira shrugged. "Why not? We don't have very much homework today."

Koyuki looked at Kousei. "You want to come too?"

He shook his head. "I've got an essay due tomorrow. Could you pick up a thing of Coke though?"

"I guess. Alright Keira, let's go."

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"So… you never explained why you moved here, Keira."

The two girls sat at a table outside a small drugstore. Keira sipped her iced tea while Koyuki drank some Sprite. "W-well… I don't really know where to start…"

Koyuki's eyes opened wide. "Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know it was like _that_…"

"No, it's okay…"

"Here, I'll go first. My parents own a large temple, actually. We live up in the mountains…" She paused. "I wonder if the first snow came yet…" She waved her hand as if to blow that thought away. "Anyways, it's about an hours drive away, so my parents had me live with my cousins over here. I haven't seen them since the start of 9th grade, honestly."

"Why don't you visit them?" asked Keira.

Koyuki seemed surprised, before awkwardly answering, "I don't know." They sat there in awkward silence before Koyuki asked, "You?"

"A divorce. My mother used to live here when she was a child."

"Oh. I see then." Koyuki pulled her purse over her shoulder and stood up. "Would you like to head back? We've already got the groceries."

"Yeah. Let's-" A dark reflection passed on the glass behind the Glaceon. Keira narrowed her eyes. "Koyuki, I-"

Koyuki turned around, but it was gone. "What's wrong?" She turned back to face Keira. "You looked as if there was something behind me… it's just glass."

"I… hmm…" What she didn't tell Keira was that the shadow had blocked out both of their reflections; something that shouldn't happen.

Koyuki yawned again. "Probably just a reflection or something. Let's start heading back. I heard Yusei is cooking! He's an amazing cook!"

The two girls walked back to their dorm slowly as the sun slowly began to set. The sun cast an eerie glow on the dorm, and trees around seemed to shake from an imperceptible breeze. Something about the whole scene made Keira uneasy. It felt almost as if they were being watched…

"Let's hurry in," said Koyuki hastily. She apparently felt uncomfortable as well.

When they got inside, it was chaos. "What do you think you're doing?" A muscular Flareon was shouting at Saki.

"Watch it with the fire! You'll burn the meat and everything!"

"I know what I'm doing! You're the one who has to watch out! I thought you grass-types don't like fire, so get out!"

"Please stop fighting…" A Sylveon was trying to diffuse the situation, but it didn't seem to be working.

Ryujin the Vaporeon was sitting on the couch, watching Kousei do some of his homework. "You forgot to factor out the 3x…"

"I know, I know… hey, Keira and Koyuki are back!"

The fighting in the kitchen subsided. "Oh, hey," said Saki, as if they hadn't seen the argument.

"Hey…" said Koyuki. "Umm… We got the groceries…" She put it down on the table.

"Oh, thanks, Koyuki." The Flareon looked through the groceries. "Hmm… good… ooh, thanks for getting this… alright, thanks Koyuki!" He smiled at her before frowning when he saw Keira. "Oh, who's this?"

"This is the new transfer student."

"Oh, that's right…" He nodded to Keira before heading to the stove, a carrot in hand.

"Keira? Hello!" The Sylveon walked up to Keira and smiled. "I'm Rin."

"Hi. Yeah, I'm Keira…"

"Nice to meet you, Keira. Me and Yusei- oh by the way, the Flareon is Yusei."

"I see…"

"Oh hey, you're a 2nd year too! That makes… 5 of us now."

She turned back to see where Koyuki was. The Glaceon was talking with Saki and Ryujin.

"I've got Kendo later on tonight," she heard Ryuji say. "Just keep an eye on them all for me."

"I know, I know. You're hardly around these days though, Ryujin."

"Saki-senpai is right. You don't spend as much time with us as last year," added Koyuki. The Vaporeon patted the top of Koyuki's head, and she blushed slightly before trying to push his hand off. "Hey, I'm not a pet!"

"Don't worry about it. This weekend, Saki and I have a lot of activities planned for us all."

The Leafeon smiled. "Yup. It'll be a lot of fun. Don't worry Koyuki, it's Thursday."

"Oh… alright. It better be fun." Koyuki smiled as she turned around. "You want to go up and do homework together while Yusei cooks or…?"

"It's okay. I have virtually zero homework since it's my first day."

"Lucky," grumbled Koyuki before she headed up the stairs to their rooms.

Saki and Ryujin stood next to each other, quietly talking. "Yeah… it'll be fine."

"Alright then." The Vaporeon sighed, then said, "I'd better get ready for Kendo."

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_November 14, 2014_

Keira lay in her bed. The quiet rhythm of rain hitting the building was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door opening. She looked at the clock on her nightstand. _1:58? How long is practice for them?_

She stood up and shook Koyuki. "When does Ryujin senpai normally come back?"

"Urr… it's so late. Why?"

"He's just coming in… and it's like 2:00."

Koyuki yawned, then said, "2:00? Really?"

Keira frowned. "Wait, I hear him coming up the stairs…"

Saki and Rin were sleeping still. Saki rolled in her sleep. Koyuki sat up. "You do have a good point… it's rather late for Kendo… could… senpai be seeing… a girl?" She pulled the sheets off of herself. "Alright then, let's go see what he's up to."

The two of them went out of the girls' room. They saw a light in bathroom; the bathroom was modeled after a traditional bathhouse, with room for all the students. Of course, the boys and girls agreed to specific times.

The two girls stood just outside the door. "Keira, we can't go in there…"

"I know… we'll just wait outside. He'll probably ans-" A strange gurgling sound came from inside. "Wait… did you hear that?" whispered Keira.

"Y-yeah! Senpai… what is going on in there… alright, that settles it. We have to see what he's doing! That noise was too weird… but let's call out first! Senpai!" called out Koyuki as she opened the door. Then she paused.

"Wait! He's… not here!"

Keira didn't know how to respond. The room had nothing much in it other than a large pool for bathing and a small nozzle where water came out of. It had a mirror on the left side and some hooks on the right for their towels. There wasn't anything particularly remarkable about it, other than the traditionalism of it and its size.

"Where did you… go…?" Koyuki looked around the bathhouse, but there was no trace of the Vaporeon, other than how the lights had been on. "This is really starting to creep me out…"

Keira stared at the steam. "Can't he disappear at his will in damp places?"

"Why would he do that?" Koyuki huffed. "It still makes no sense…"

"Koyuki. Keira." They turned around to see an upset-looking Leafeon staring at them. "What are you two doing here?"

"S-Saki senpai! Uhh… Ryujin senpai vanished into here. He… uh, was in here for awhile and the light was on, so we decided to check up on him…"

"He's probably under the water swimming or something. Out out, before he sees you." She hurried them out of the bathhouse and closed the door behind them. "Ryujin just came in about 3 minutes ago if I'm not mistaken."

"Oh… it's just…"

"No peeping now, girls. He's tired from his training."

"Oh. Umm, okay."

"Alright, let's head to bed now." Saki took one last look back before they headed up to their room.

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"Good morning senpai!" said Koyuki cheerfully as she greeted Ryujin.

"Hey." The Vaporeon nodded at her.

"How was your bath last night, senpai?"

He paused, then said, "Fine. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know… maybe we went into the bath and-"

"You went into the bath with him, Koyuki?! What the-" Kousei was interrupted by the Glaceon's embarrassed scream.

"No! I didn't mean it that way!"

"Then how did you mean it?" asked Keira.

"Sh-shut up, Keira! You were there… too…"

The Vaporeon seemed somewhat guilty. "I… I'd appreciate it if you don't watch me bathe anymore."

"But you weren't in there, senpai! Where were you?"

"I was swimming under. I chose to dissolve once I saw you guys."

Keira nodded. It was a reasonable explanation, since if he tried to answer them, he'd have to reform naked. Koyuki agreed. "I guess that makes sense then. Sorry…"

"It's fine." He still looked guilty. "Don't… mention it…"

**Wonder what'll happen next? Hmm… I wonder…**


	4. Ch-3

Chapter 3

Keira and Kousei sat next to each other on a bench after class. "Thanks for bailing me out on that question, Keira. You're really smart…"

"Don't worry about it. Just remember that you're working as a logarithm, so it's the exponent rather than a digit."

They were waiting for Koyuki to finish up her last class, since they both finished with breaks. "You know, Keira… Koyuki always talks crap about me, but we're friends still."

"Childhood friends. So were you two ever… together?"

"EH? Umm… that's uncharted territory… we… don't go there…" He looked away from her. "Have you ever had a boyfriend?"

"No."

He was clearly surprised by her curt answer. "Really? How? I mean, you must have been asked a few times…"

"They were all too boring."

He frowned. "What does that mean? I'm sure some of them were pretty good-looking-"

"Plenty were handsome enough. None of them were interesting enough."

He looked at his pants for awhile. "So… like none of them were spicy enough?"

She shrugged. "Some of them were on the baseball team. I overheard them once hold a bet to see who could date me first. I guess that bet is off now."

He looked thoughtful. "I guess I can see why you'd never want to have a boyfriend. I mean, you're like… what do nerds call them… trophy waifus?"

"Mmm. I guess. I hate all that kind of attention. It's ridiculous."

He nodded. "What makes a guy interesting, then?"

She thought about it. "Well… confident but humble. Funny…"

"Aren't those traits any girl wants?"

She pursed her lips. "Of course. I want a guy who's willing to stand out also. I always imagined my ideal guy as tall… maybe plays the guitar…"

"Guitar you say?"

"Eh? Well…"

Much to her relief, Koyuki came walking over. "Are you feeding Keira misinformation?"

"No. Just the truth."

"Don't listen to this clown, Keira."

He rolled his eyes. "At least I'm not the clown who wants to mate with Ryujin. _Senpai! Notice me!_"

She looked appalled. "I-I don't sound like that!" she stammered.

"Really… you stare at him a lot. At the same time, he seems pretty oblivious."

Keira stood up. "Well, let's go now. Remember the plan Koyuki?"

"Plan? What is this _plan_?" asked Kousei.

"Keira!" whined Koyuki. "You couldn't keep quiet!"

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"It's only 9:13," said Koyuki, pulling out her phone. "And he's walking out now…"

Kousei yawned. "I don't get why we're following him. What could he be doing?"

"That's the point!" Koyuki seemed very excited about what was going on. "He may be doing something really exciting!"

"Or he could be just… doing alone stuff…" The Vaporeon walked out of the dojo. He wiped the sweat from his brow, and looked at his watch. He turned away from where the three students were in the shadows. He took a drink from his water bottle.

"Let's go," whispered Koyuki, and they all followed after her. "What are you doing, senpai?" she whispered.

Then he paused. "Quick, hide!" said Keira. The three of them went deeper into the darkness.

He frowned before adjusting his glasses, which glinted in the moonlight. Then he continued on. "Hmm…"

"Whew… let's continue…" They followed him for about five minutes. He stopped underneath a bus stop.

He pulled out his phone. "Mmm. Yes, I'm here. Okay. See you soon."

"What?! It sounds like he's talking to a girl!" said Koyuki. "No way… I never suspected he already had a girlfriend…"

They waited for about 10 minutes, and eventually, a young Delcatty walked up. "Hey Ryuji!" She hugged him tightly. "Did you miss me?"

"N-no way! It's Mitsumi Nakano! She's the…" Koyuki hung her head. "She's the most popular girl in the grade above…"

"How? He's never mentioned it before… or even shown it!"

Koyuki seemed to be hit hard by it. "I never knew…"

The two older students held hands as they walked next to each other. "You look like you just came from Kendo. Did you show everyone their place?"

"Uh… no. I'm only average…"

The Delcatty giggled. "If it's anything like your average grades, then I sure bet you did…"

Koyuki sighed. "I guess… it's to be expected. He's such a humble guy… some other girl was bound to take interest in him that he liked too…"

Keira patted her on the shoulder. "It'll be okay. There are bound to be other guys around that you'll be interested in. You want to continue?"

"Not really…" She was very dejected.

"Don't worry. I'll question him later. He should make this stuff known to us, at least." Kousei yawned again. "This still doesn't really explain what happened in the bath, unless…" He gasped. "Could they have been making love underwater?!"

"Don't be stupid!" Koyuki growled at him. "A Delcatty couldn't hold her breath that long!"

"Calm down. He was just thinking." Keira pondered it for awhile. "No, that could not have been the case. There is still something that seems… off…"

"I really don't want to watch senpai kiss some girl!" shouted Koyuki angrily before she walked off.

Which left Keira and Kousei together again. "Well… this would be romantic if I had a girlfriend," he sighed. "Lucky senpai… get's to go out with the hottest girl in his grade…"

"But Koyuki… she's pretty… attractive too, right? I mean, senpai must think this…"

"Don't tell Koyuki, but I think she's one of the hottest girls I know."

"Don't worry about it. She'd probably bite your head off right now."

Kousei huffed and looked where Ryujin and Mitsumi had disappeared to. "I still care for Koyuki though. This might hurt her…" He paused. "Even though her parents live far away, we both went to a elementary school up in the mountains. We'd sometimes joke around." He sighed. "Then my mother passed away." The Umbreon paused. "It seems like such a long time ago. I got upset at her once… and hit her… and then… she's still my friend… but she'll be cruel sometimes."

"I sort of lost my father too… my parents divorced…"

"I heard. Losing a parent… is tough. I know." He looked at her. "But really… even though I'm sometimes jealous of senpai… he deserves it more than anyone. His entire family got into a car accident. He lost his younger sister and both parents… I guess he's quiet for a reason."

Suddenly, Keira could see why he was so reserved. "Really?"

"Yeah. He has no parents." The Umbreon stood up. "I know this might seem kind of strange, but I'm in the mood for some curry right now. You want to come with me?"

She smiled. "All right then. I've got no reason to refuse."

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"Wow! This… this is… great!" Keira sat next to Kousei. "How did you find this place?"

"My uncle runs this shop. It's free for me. He even said some friends could come in if we ever need a bite to eat."

"Really?"

A voice behind her chuckled. "Yeah, you probably know my nephew. Yusei. Kousei told me that a new girl moved into the dorm. You're quite the cutie…" An older Typhlosion chopped up some vegetables. "Is she your girlfriend, Kousei?"

"No." He took a bite of the curry and rice. "She's just a friend. Koyuki was here earlier, but she was upset, so it's just the two of us."

"I don't know if the school would approve of two opposite sex students being together this late…"

"Hey, our senpai Ryujin was just hanging around with his girlfriend. We just follow his example. Plus I know that Keira wouldn't have sex with me if I asked, right?"

Keira sighed. "Boys…" She took a gulp of water. "Always concerned with sex."

"Moreso nowadays," said the Typhlosion.

"Alright uncle. It's late. I think Keira and I should be heading back. It's 10:20 already."

"Fine." He took their dishes. "Tell Yusei I said hi and tell him to visit."

"Okay, uncle! See you!"

"Thank you, uncle." Keira bowed quickly before following Kousei out the door. "Kousei…"

She caught up next to him. He smiled at her. "Sleepy?"

"A little. We woke up so early yesterday."

They walked home in awkward silence. "Listen… I know that we barely know each other, but would you mind giving me your number?"

"Oh, uh, sure!" She blushed slightly, unsure of why. She'd given her number to many guys before; what was so different?

"Thanks. Look, we should be going to sleep before-"

"Keira? Kousei? Umm… what are you two doing up at this hour?"

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"You two shouldn't be up at this hour. Especially with all the rules to prevent teen pregnancies and all."

"You're one to talk, Ryujin." Kousei leaned back against the couch. "We saw you with Mitsumi senpai. You never mentioned this to us."

The Vaporeon sighed. "I suppose I should have. Mitsumi… she wanted to keep it quiet." He pulled off his shirt, and closed his eyes. "But why were you two following me?"

"Koyuki was with us," said Kousei. "Keira and Kousei both thought you were lying about the bathroom thing."

The Vaporeon glared at him. "You two, go to sleep now. It's late. If you don't trust me, you can sleep in the bathroom and maybe you'll see what I mean."

"What?" They both looked at him. "I thought there was a no-boy-and-girl bathroom rule," said Kousei.

The Vaporeon stood up. "I trust you not to screw around. 2:00. Let me wash first then you can go see what I mean."

"I don't know," said Keira. "This is getting weird. I'm just going to sleep- wait, I need to wash."

"You go first then." The Vaporeon lounged on the couch. "We can wait."

Keira quickly ran up to the girls' quarters and grabbed her clothes. Koyuki, Saki, and Rin were all sleeping right now. None of them seemed even remotely awake.

Keira soaked in the water for awhile. For some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling she was being watched. She looked at the massive mirror behind her, and shivered. Her reflected body upset her for some reason. It was a painful reminder of how everyone viewed her; perfect, quiet, and haughty.

She dipped more of her body into the water. She thought of what Kousei had told her earlier about losing a parent. He seemed to deal with it through his jokes and sarcasm. Keira dealt with it through silence.

She paused again. _Who's there?_ She still felt a presence behind her. Nothing but that mirror again. Ryujin's words echoed through her mind. _"You'll see what I mean."_ What did he mean by that? It must have been about 11:00 right now, and she didn't want to stay in the bath any longer. She dried her body off and looked into the mirror again. _Are they here too? _She frowned before getting dressed and walking out. "You guys take a long bath."

The Vaporeon seemed a little surprised, and Kousei shrugged. "You sure rushed out of there quickly. Spooked?"

"A little."

**Hehe… the next chapter will be significant. Be ready!**


	5. Ch-4

Chapter 4

_November 19, 2014_

Rain was pouring outside. Keira and the girls were all sitting around the table, studying.

"This is so boring," yawned Rin. "Why can't we go to the mall or something?"

"Because we have to study." Even Saki sounded tired. "Or we could go to the lake maybe after we do our work…"

"Ooh. That sounds fun!" said Koyuki. "It's winter too, so the water will be nice and chilly!"

"Umm, no. It's winter; we're not all comfortable being drenched in the cold." Rin sighed. "I hate homework. I'd rather hang out with the guys. Even just flirting…"

"Err, what?" Keira was puzzled.

Saki just rolled her eyes. "Being a fairy and all, she's all about cuteness. Like, flirt with them all."

"What? It's fun! Koyuki needs some work if she wants to catch Ryujin-senpai's eye."

"Hey! I'm not!" said Koyuki defensively.

"You act like a little puppy when you're around him!"

Keira shot Koyuki a glance. Nobody had mentioned what they had learnt about him a few days ago. How he was dating a student… Koyuki had been too saddened to say anything and Keira didn't want to upset her further. She and Kousei had discussed it over their nightly snack at Yusei's uncle's shop.

But that wasn't the biggest issue. The games that the two older students had planned had been cancelled due to the fifth murder; an emergency meeting had called for Ryujin's disappearance.

Nobody talked that night, especially since the death had been a student head. It had been Fira; a Sandslash. Her body had been found in the student council office.

"How can you talk about that right now?" said Saki. "We just lost a friend!"

"Sorry, senpai…" Rin seemed genuinely embarrassed. "What have you and Kousei been doing every night?" she asked Keira.

"What? H-how'd you know?" Keira was shocked.

Saki was working on her math. "It's not hard to notice that two students are gone every night." She looked up. "I know I told Rin to be quiet, but I'm curious as to what you're doing too. C'mon, you can tell us!"

"We just hang out." She shrugged.

"Hang out? Like… make out?" Rin giggled. "Dark types like him are hard to come by. He's funny. I think that I once heard that 40% of all psychopaths are dark types."

"That's typist," said Saki. "We don't categorize."

"Whatever… say, at school, I saw senpai holding hands with some Delcatty. She looked like she was in the same grade as him!" Rin seemed excited.

"There's only one Delcatty in our grade; Mitsumi." Saki frowned. "Are you sure? She doesn't really seem like his type." Koyuki exchanged a glance with Keira.

"Yeah, she was really pretty."

Koyuki spoke up. "Err, who is this Mitsumi girl anyways?"

Saki stopped writing. "Well… she's been with us since grade school. Always popular and everything; she is quite attractive, if I say so myself. Actually, she is a lot more popular than you probably realize. She is a singer for a new pop group."

"What?! That's so cool!" said Rin. "Senpai… you gold digger!"

"A-a pop singer?" Koyuki choked out. "Wait…"

Saki continued. "There are six of them; I can't remember the others' names off the top of my head, but I know she is the lead singer. She doesn't really come to school a lot."

Keira thought about it. _That's strange. He never mentioned anything about it when they met up at night._ "What's their group called?"

"I think it's like, _We6_ or something like that. The name is awful, but their music is actually decent." Saki shrugged. "I still don't know if I believe you though. I highly doubt senpai would go for a girl like that. Although she seems nice at school though. Have you seen them together?" she asked Koyuki.

The Glaceon stiffened. "No."

Rin sighed. "I know what I saw, Saki-senpai!"

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"You know, Koyuki… you seem down right now…" commented Rin. "What's the matter?" The four girls were in the bath, chatting as they washed.

"I'm okay… it's just the heat…" The Glaceon stepped out of the bath. "I'm going to the ice bath… ahh! That's better…"

Saki turned to the others. "What are you all going to do about the winter dance?"

Rin shrugged. "Don't look at me. I flirt around only."

"I'm new," defended Keira. "I hardly know anybody, so I highly doubt anybody would want to go with me."

"Well, you're pretty at least. Guys will be interested in you for that reason," said Saki.

"What about you, Koyuki?" asked Rin. "Have you thought about who you want to go with?"

"Err, not really. It's difficult for me to say. I don't really know anybody too well outside of our dorm." The Glaceon splashed around in the ice pool.

"How about somebody within our dorm?" ventured Saki.

"W-well, Yusei is kind…" The Glaceon paused. "I'd actually think he'd be fun to date maybe. But he's only in my PE class."

"What about the other two?" Keira decided to try tease the Glaceon a bit.

"Nwho? Oh, the others?! I don't know about Kousei," she said with a slight blush. "He and I used to be real close, but… nowadays…"

"You are cruel to him," said Rin.

"Hey now! Ever since that time at the beach when…" The Glaceon dipped her head under the water before popping back up. "But senpai… well, I think he's cool too. But if what you're all saying is true, then he's probably going with some Delcatty…"

"How about you, Saki?"

"I don't know either. But maybe I'll try ask out somebody… there is somebody I want to know better…"

"Ooh!" said Rin. "Tell me… is it an older boy? Is he graduating this year?"

"No. Well, you'll see…"

Then the door opened and Kousei and Yusei stepped in. They were both panting. "Saki senpai! Ryujin has been attacked-"

Kousei was nailed in the face with a bar of soap. "GET OUT!" shrieked Saki.

"S-sorry…" The Flareon bent down and tossed the soap back to her. "We'll be going… now… please hurry though…"

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"He'll be okay…" The nurse was holding a clipboard as she talked to the students. "He was shot… amazingly, it missed all vital organs. He'll be out in a few days."

"S-senpai! What happened?" Koyuki held his hand tightly. "You were shot? But how? Why?"

The Vaporeon groaned. "I was going to practice. I was walking through the shopping district… what time is it?"

"It's 7:12," said Keira.

He sighed. "I remember hearing a gunshot… I ducked, and then I remember passing out."

Koyuki whimpered. "Are you okay?"

Rin and Saki whispered to each other. "Yeah."

Then they noticed the Delcatty sitting on the other side of the room, watching them. She narrowed her eyes at Koyuki. "Do you mind giving him some privacy?"

"S-sorry…"

"Mitsumi?! What are you doing here?" asked Saki in shock. "Wait… are you two… together?"

Mitsumi nodded. "Well… sort of…" She looked at Ryujin for awhile.

"So… you're a singer, right?" asked Rin. "Wow… that's cool!"

The Delcatty smiled. "I suppose it is. But I'm really busy normally." She looked at the Vaporeon. "Ryujin is one of my few good friends."

"But you're a popular teen idol! How could you not have too many friends?" asked Saki.

"Well… I have to go to work on and off so much it's tough for me to maintain good friends. Ryujin and I… we like hanging out with each other a lot."

The Vaporeon smiled. "You're pretty too." A flash of jealousy ran across Koyuki's face. He turned to Koyuki. "Is something wrong?"

"No." The Glaceon paused before saying, "Did you ask her out?"

"Well… neither," they both said. "I guess we're a couple," said Ryujin. "But it's more of a friendly than a romantic relationship…"

"What? Come on! You have such a beautiful girl and you say you're just friends? Jeez senpai…" said Kousei.

He smiled. "We go way back. We both know each other a little too well," he said. "She's normally away though, so that's why we've been hanging out."

"Really…" Keira thought back to when she had seen them meet up. It had seemed rather playful than romantic, although certainly affectionate. "Hmm…"

"But why would somebody try and shoot senpai? I still don't get it."

"It's because I'm a head." He looked at them all. "FIra… Ky… Oruki… Zenri… all of them were important figures within the community." He paused. "Fira and Zenri were both student heads, and Ky and Oruki were both baseball stars." With a pause, he said, "I don't mean to brag, but I'm both kendo club head and a dorm head. Somebody is trying to pick us apart… uf… I have to check the mi…" He groaned.

"Rest, Ryujin…" Mitsumi held his hand. "You can talk to him later. Please… let him rest…"

The other students slowly filtered out of the room. "Senpai…"

He locked eyes with Koyuki before turning to Keira. "The mirror. Be careful."

"What? Mirror?"

Mitsumi pushed them out of the room gently. "He needs some space…"

After the two girls had gone, Ryujin sighed. "Mitsumi. Do you think it was right to tell them?"

"I don't know if they even understood what you meant," she said.

He sighed. "Our days of mirror walking… I hoped to stop it. But… maybe that's what we must do to stop the killings…"

Mitsumi blinked. "I've only got about a week more… I… the band is going on a trip…"

He smiled at her. "I'll get better." With a more serious voice, he added, "Get them into the mirror. All of them…"

She nodded. "I'll instruct them. You just get better. One more thing…" She stood up and looked at him. "That Glaceon… her name is Koyuki, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

She turned around. "Koyuki…"

**Get ready for a view shift!**


	6. Ch-5

Chapter 5

_March 28, 2006_

_"Mom… dad… what's going to happen?" The young Eevee closed his eyes. "I'm scared…"_

_His father rubbed the top of his head. "It'll be alright. We've got to do this make you a normal Eon."_

_"But… it's okay! I'm just as physically healthy as the others!"_

_"You know what the doctors said," said his father firmly. "Your heart might not be able to handle evolution. When a child hits 12, he's expected to evolve. Mom… please… I don't want to die."_

_"You won't die," said his mother gently. "It's a relatively simple surgery… although…"_

_"Mr. and Mrs. Sato. It's time."_

_The young Eevee closed his eyes again. "Mom… dad! Please… I don't want to get my heart ripped out…" Tears began to well up. "Don't you care?"_

_"Yes we do. It's for your own good…"_

_Then the doors closed up._

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_November 18, 2014_

He woke up, sweating all over. The young Eon twitched his toes, remembering how close he had been to death. He had survived the surgery… _I'm alive. I'm alive._ His heart ached; he didn't know if it was because of her or the surgery he had to undergo.

"Yusei. Are you alright?"

Next to him, Ryujin and Kousei seemed very concerned.

"I'm alright," he said. "Just a nightmare." The Flareon huffed. "It's awful. I can't sleep."

The three boys listened to the rain outside. "Is it a girl?" asked Ryujin.

"I don't think so. My grades are fine too…" He looked out the window before lying down again. He rested his hands on his chest, feeling the scars from the surgery so many years ago. "It's fine."

Eventually, the other two fell asleep again. He thought instinctively of her again, and sighed. _You can't have her. She's only nice to you because she doesn't know how fucked up you are._ He lay in his bed, listening to the sound of rain. It always made him feel jittery, particularly because of the type weakness he had to it.

He had been scared and drawn to rain though. It controlled his unpredictable fire powers and also sent fear through him. He never wanted to hurt anybody else again.

She understood him though. She was always smiling and teasing him. She was his opposite… he doubted she'd hurt a fly even if she wanted to, while he destroyed numerous things if he wasn't careful. He'd kept it secret from the rest of the dorm, but he still had to be careful. Every so often, he'd feel himself start to heat up and would have to relax in fear of incinerating somebody. But when he was around her… his worry seemed to melt. He'd lock up internally, and had a hard time speaking to her. But he liked it. It made him feel like a normal teenager with the Butterfrees that liked a girl, even though he was really a modified zombie freak. Well, not really…

But that girl… there was something so cheery about her that he didn't understand. He hardly knew her, yet he was drawn to her. And there was nothing wrong with that; he was normal. And she was normal.

His phone flashed on. _You're awake aren't you?_

_Yeah. Still on the run?_

No reply came from the other end for about 5 minutes. Then, _Yeah. U still going to that school?_

_Yeah. My heart's been fine. No accidents so far._

_Good. It's been… 3 years?_

_Yeah._

_Alright. Listen up, I'm coming around to that school you're going to. I've got to hide out for a few weeks. They're hot on my trail._

_Don't drag me and my friends into this! _Yusei got angry at the thought of one of the other students dying. Hadn't there been enough death?

_Are we not friends as well?_

Yusei knew what the right reply was. _Yes. I'm sure you know exactly where I am right now._

_Of course. Your phone is so easy to track. Maybe about tomorrow afternoon? Miyami food court._

_Alright. Don't destroy anything._

_Same for you. Goodnight._

Yusei turned off his phone. "This isn't good…"

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_November 19, 2014_

"Yusei? What's wrong with you? You haven't talked at all on the walk home." Keira, the new student was talking to him.

"She's right, you know. With senpai out for a few days, we'll have to take care of things ourselves, being the men here." Kousei slapped him on the back. "We have to keep things under control!"

"Quiet, Kousei." Saki scolded the Umbreon. "It's not like you're in charge. I'm still here."

"It's okay. He's probably just banged up from senpai being attacked." Rin smiled at him. "I'm a little worried too… but he'll be okay."

"I just feel like I forgot something."

They opened the door. "I really hope-"

He suddenly remembered; Naruchi Iyaza. "Look out!"

Immediately, a bolt of lightning came out of nowhere. It would have fried Koyuki if he hadn't knocked her down. "Kyaa!"

"Hmph. At least you have the manners to protect a lady." Around the corner stepped a Jolteon wearing black jeans and a Hokkaido jacket. He had his normal green computer eyepiece. "Well well. Looks like we meet again in person, Yusei Itoru."

"Who the hell are you?!" shouted Saki. "You're destroying our dorm!"

"I'm sorry, miss Saki."

"H-how do you know my name?" she asked in disbelief.

"Tactics. I've done comprehensive research on you all. Of course, none of you are my enemy, but still. Hehe. You should know me. Naruchi Izaya. Pleasure to meet you."

Saki flinched. "You. What would a national threat be doing here?"

"I need some protection. Yusei said he could provide it for a few weeks. The government is hot on my case. I've already done some heavy research on each of you. I've monitored your calling patterns and such." He shrugged. "But you'll help me, right?"

"Uh, Saki senpai? Who is this boy?"

She grit her teeth. "My dad works for Intelligence. This Jolteon Naruchi is a secret government project gone wrong. He was altered to be able to carry out missions in other countries. Unfortunately…"

"Hmm. I don't personally know your dad, but you're well informed. I'm impressed."

"Don't be condescending. You may be genetically enhanced, but I know your type. Cocky, smart, and good with words."

The Jolteon frowned. "Hmm… I don't really want to get you all in trouble. I'll say this; the government wants me dead and for good reason, although I certainly want to live. I just need shelter in your dorm for a few weeks. Is that fair?"

"Yusei." Saki glared at him. "I hope he doesn't destroy our dorm. Or kill anybody."

"Relax, sweetie. I'll-"

Saki had slapped him across the face. Nobody spoke for about 10 seconds. Then the Jolteon chuckled. "Heh. It's been awhile since I've been hit." He rubbed his cheek. "What's for dinner?"

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Dinner was eaten in silence that night. "So Yusei, you been up to anything?"

"No. Uh, how come you're not eating? I went out of my way to cook a good meal. My uncle…"

"This food could be implanted with poison. What if the government hired you to kill me?"

"Just shut up already! I mean, why the hell would we care if you're dead?"

The Jolteon's took off his eyepiece. "Anyways, it'd affect my BMI if I ate all that fat."

"What?" Rin looked at her food. "This… is making us fat?!"

Kousei whispered something to Keira, who sighed. "I don't think so. It's just one meal…"

"B-but how can you say that? You're so skinny!"

The door creaked open. In a flash, the Jolteon launched himself at the new Pokemon. "Wait!" shouted Yusei, but it was too late.

A very shocked Delcatty was knocked down. By him. "You were hired by the… nghh…" A beautiful voice filled the air.

"Sleep, please." Mitsumi stood up and dusted herself off. The Jolteon was snoring. "Who is this?" She frowned. "Hmm… a sneak attack. Quite nimble too. But sleep is so easy to come by. Especially since he was already tired."

Yusei walked to the Jolteon. "Hmm… you lost to two girls today? Slowing down."

"Zzz… shut… up…"

Saki frowned with crossed arms. "I almost feel sorry for him." She paused. "But he's just a loser assassin."

"Don't be mean, senpai. He was trying!" said Rin.

The Delcatty folded the umbrella she had been holding. "Hmm. Well, I'd better get…" She smiled. "Ryujin said I could spend the night here in his bed. There's something I want to show you guys."

Kousei gulped. "A girl is sleeping… in… our room?"

Yusei looked at Naruchi. "There are three boys now."

Mitsumi turned to Koyuki, who stiffened when she called her. "Koyuki? That's your name right?"

"Y-yes. Why do you ask?"

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"Uhh, Mitsumi senpai… you're… bathing with us?"

She winked at them. "Why not? When Ryujin and I were younger, we'd always bathe together!" She sighed. "But we haven't for awhile. I've been too busy. He's such a good guy though… no touching ever!"

"You and senpai bathed together?!"

She sighed. "It sounds pervy, I know, but in reality, we're extremely close. After his parents died, he lived with us. His parents died when he was… 6? 7? Yeah, 7 I think. So we grew up very close. He was a disturbed boy at first…" A shadow crossed her face. "He would always talk about the other side. I would joke that he was a child of Giratina, which would get me a spanking."

"Other side? What do you mean by that?"

She stayed quiet. "I'll tell you all later tonight."

Kousei looked at the Delcatty. "So… you'd wash each other? Like erotic-"

She shook her head. "Ryujin is a great guy. But we know each other too well to… get romantically involved. We tell each other that we love one another all the time. But when you've seen another naked since you were 7, it's rather awkward. I mean, we've both developed in different areas."

Kousei and Yusei both just stared at her in shock. "Senpai is so fucking lucky…" said Kousei.

"I'll be bathing with you two, but I'll keep the towel around me so you don't get too uncomfortable."

"Oh, it's okay! We're perfectly comfortable! Right Yusei?" The Umbreon winked at him.

"Uh, okay."

She giggled. "You two are so funny. But I don't know you two well enough to show everything." She slipped into the bath, towel still around her. Her voice became serious. "Now, I need you to tell me about this Koyuki girl."

"The Glaceon? Yeah. She is sweet," said Yusei. "I mean…"

"She hates me," grumbled Kousei. "But I think she's good at heart."

The two boys slipped into the bath, covering up their waists with towels. "You see… I've heard that she's taken a liking to Ryujin."

Yusei shot Kousei a glance. "We've never heard…"

"Oh really?" The Delcatty seemed amused. "What if I told that cute new transfer student that you always stare at her chest?"

The Umbreon was hardly able to speak. "I-no-I-wouldn't do that-" His rings blinked.

"And you, Flareon. I… hmm… you haven't stared at anybody since I've been here. But maybe…"

Then she froze, and turned to look at the mirror. "Already?" Her voice grew hard. "Out of the bath you two." The towel fell off of her as she stood up, and Kousei's nose began to bleed heavily. She turned around and looked at the mirror. "Get the others… it's time for you to see Ryujin was talking about."

**Okay. Ready?!**


	7. Ch-6

Chapter 6

_November 19, 2014_

After they all got dressed and called the other girls, Yusei and Kousei waited in the bathhouse. Thankfully, Mitsumi had gotten dressed as well.

"What is it, senpai?" asked Rin. She yawned. "It's really late. It's like 10:00."

"!0:00? Hmm… the gate opened early tonight. Alright, listen up everyone. What is a mirror to you?"

"Where's Naruchi?" whispered Yusei to Saki.

"Still sleeping."

"A mirror is a reflection, am I right?" The Delcatty held out a hand and leaned against the wall. "See this mirror? It shows yourself right? But look closely, please."

Yusei looked at his reflection. He saw nothing but himself there. Then it seemed to shimmer. "Wait, did you just see that?"

"Hmm… so I wasn't imagining it then…" Keira looked closely at the mirror. Mitsumi stopped her.

"I wouldn't touch, transfer student. This mirror is a gateway; it takes you to a place of potential."

"A gateway? What does that mean?"

The Delcatty smiled. "This is Ryujin's secret. Let me show you all." Then she stepped through the mirror.

Rin and Koyuki both screamed. "Senpai!"

Keira made a choking noise, and Kousei's legs collapsed. "What the hell?"

"Calm down… it'll be okay." Saki had quickly taken control of the panic. "We're just hallucinating."

"I don't think so…" said Keira. "We just-gah!"

A head popped through the mirror. "Hmph. You guys really should come through. You wouldn't believe what's here."

"You're asking us to go into a dangerous environment?!"

"Hey, Ryujin and I survived it when we were 9. I think a bunch of high-schoolers can survive… maybe…" She disappeared again.

"What the hell is going on…" muttered Koyuki. "Senpai couldn't have known about such a thing…"

"Ryujin is a lot better liar than we realized," growled Kousei. "Screw it, I need to know some things." The Umbreon stepped through the mirror.

"Alright Koyuki… let's go." Keira and Koyuki were next.

Saki nudged Rin and Yusei forward. "I'll bring up the rear. Lord Arceus knows what is in these mirrors…"

Then the three of them went through the mirror.

It was the strangest feeling. It was like stepping through a wall of water. When they emerged, they were standing in… the bath house?

"Umm, what happened?"

"We're in the mirror." Mitsumi looked around cautiously. "Good. No doppels here."

"Doppels? What are those?" asked Rin.

"That's what Ryujin and I called them. We aren't completely sure what they are really, but…"

"This place gives me the creeps," said Rin. "Let's leave."

"Well, you see… the mirror closed up behind us once we all passed through." Mitsumi patted the mirror behind them.

"WHAT?! How will we get out?!" said Koyuki.

Mitsumi started walking out of the room. "Let's go. We'll find the exit."

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

_March 30, 2006_

_ "Ngh… where am I?" The young Eevee rubbed his eyes. His chest had a dull ache in it. "Mom? Dad?" He was in small white room. He wore a hospital gown. A thin trail of blood dribbled across him onto the ground._

_ "They're not coming for us." He turned around. Another Eevee sat against the wall, legs crossed._

_ "Who are you?"_

_ "I'm Naruchi. You are…?"_

_ "Yusei Itoru… what are we doing here?"_

_ The other Eevee snorted. "How am I supposed to know?" He stood up. "Did you have a heart transplant?"_

_ "I don't know. They said I wouldn't be able to handle evolution."_

_ The other Eevee shrugged. "I wouldn't know, but kids our age normally don't survive heart transplants. It's just a really dangerous procedure."_

_ "Really… I was lucky then…"_

_ "You sure were… unless they decided to incorporate that new thing my dad was working on…"_

_ "What?"_

_ "Never mind. I'm the only one with it." Naruchi brushed it aside as if it was nothing. "I'm supposed to be the government's new secret weapon… I've been genetically modified to have roughly the intelligence of an Alakazam," he boasted._

_ "Okay… so what is that thingy your dad was building?"_

_ He smirked. "It's called the Model E. It's a special machine heart. Able to withstand pressure a normal Pokemon cannot and thus increases potential. I have one, along with a bunch of IQ boosting injections."_

_ "Okay then. I don't know what you're talking about, but your father might have saved me."_

_ Naruchi smiled. "My dad is the greatest!"_

"Yusei? What's wrong?"

"Eh? It's nothing." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Don't worry about it."

Rin frowned. "I can tell your emotions… you just remembered something…"

"Don't worry about me. I can handle myself Rin."

She shrugged. "Alright then… you were holding your chest like it hurt."

"I'm fine." He was just recalling what had happened so many years back. "I'm fine…"

"Hang on…" Mitsumi had stopped walking. They were standing in the dining room of the dorm. "It looks like there is nothing to see here… I thought maybe we'd encounter some Doppels…"

"Wait… so we can leave now?"

Mitsumi shrugged. "I guess. The mirror has nothing to show."

Keira frowned. "This doesn't seem real. Is it just another room? There's nothing special here." She seemed a little disappointed.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

_November 23, 2014_

"Welcome back, senpai!"

The Vaporeon grinned when he saw all his friends. "How have you all been?"

"They've behaved themselves…" Saki smiled at her fellow head.

"It's good to see you're okay, Ryujin," said Mitsumi. She handed him a blue rose and he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"That's right, you're leaving soon, right Mitsumi?"

"Mmhmm. In about two days. I'm going to be gone for about… 3 months I think."

"Oh… so you're not going to make the Christmas dance…"

"You must be Ryujin, the head of the dorm." From around the corner stepped Naruchi. "I'm Naruchi Izaya."

The Vaporeon locked eyes with him. "I wasn't notified of a new transfer student."

"You're the Kendo club captain I heard."

The Vaporeon nodded. "You're wearing an eyepiece. You're probably a programmer… or just a wannabe…"

"I'm not a wannabe! I've already traced your phone! I know all your contacts!"

"And? What does that do?"

The Jolteon clenched his fists. "Do you want to fight?"

"No. But is that a challenge?"

"Yes! I'll fry-"

The Vaporeon held out a hand. "It would be unfair to use our attacks. You have a clear advantage, and I'm still recovering from my gunshot." He pulled out his wooden sword. To everyone's surprise, he actually had a second one there. He tossed it to Naruchi. "First to land a clean hit wins."

"On the head?"

"Or the body. A clean hit will make the opponent flinch or pass out." The Vaporeon took off his shoes and stepped into the dorm. "Alright. Let's begin."

The Jolteon moved first. In the blink of an eye, he had dashed to the Vaporeon. "Eat this, Vaporeon!"

Koyuki gasped. "He's so quick!"

Ryujin didn't seem surprised. "What's the point of all that speed if you have to wind up like that?" He quickly blocked the attack with his own sword, and backed off.

The Jolteon's eyepiece started flashing. "Hmm… I see. Take this!" He quickly tried to go for a thrust, but was blocked again. "How?!"

"I can't believe you're using a computer. How can you pay attention?" The Vaporeon blocked the flurry of attacks. He grinned for a brief moment, and then ducked under one slash that the Jolteon made.

"Gotcha." He slipped behind the Jolteon and hit him on the head. The Jolteon fell to the ground.

"How?" he repeated. "You were just blocking!"

"Your motions were too big. You were far too predictable. Smaller, weaker motions are more effective really."

The Jolteon blinked, then nodded. "You… have my respect I guess, Vaporeon."

The Vaporeon sheathed his wooden sword. "It was a good match, especially for somebody who has never used a sword before."

"You lost again, Naruchi," said Yusei. "Getting dull."

He didn't have time to react before he felt a quick shock run through him. "You're a little dull, as well," he said with a grin.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

"I'm sorry, Ryujin. But we have to go-"

"No, it's okay. I understand. You're actually touring in America, right?"

The Delcatty nodded. "I'm really sorry, though. I know you really wanted to go to the dance…"

"No, it's alright." He smiled at her. "I'll just rest at the dorm ag-"

"You know," she began awkwardly, "I'd be okay if you went to the dance with somebody else. I don't want to hold you back."

The Vaporeon sighed. "I don't know who I would go with… I mean, I'm sure it'd be awkward if I went with anybody else… you're my friend, so it's fine."

"Why don't you try get to know some of the other girls, then?"

Kousei smirked. "Oh really? Gee, you should really try get to learn about Koyuki. She'd let you see her nipples if you so much as asked."

"Hey! Do you want your entire body to be frostbitten?" threatened the Glaceon, before realizing that Ryujin was looking at her shocked. "I mean, I'm not easy…" she said with embarrassment.

"So…" said Rin, trying to divert the attention of their head. "Err… Mitsumi-senpai is leaving? Two days?"

"Uh, yeah. They're… going on a tour…" Ryujin certainly seemed caught off balance after Kousei's comment.

"Senpai… what about the mirror?" Keira spoke up now, her eyes focused. "I heard you tell Mitsumi senpai about the mirror."

The Vaporeon closed his eyes. "Yes. The mirror… tonight, we all go in. It's time you learn about doppels and what they can tell us about those in our world."

"Doppels… you mean as in doppelganger?"

The Vaporeon smiled, his eyes seeming to glow. It made Yusei shiver. "You're right. Tonight, we'll go in again."

"How do you know we went into that creepy place?"

"The mirror," he began, "is a place of potential and secrets. There are many things we don't understand… but I can tell you what we thinks it is."

Mitsumi began speaking. "Mirrors are, to our understanding at least, a reflection of every Pokemon. When we were in the mirror, we met nobody, which meant nobody was troubled. We've learned that whenever somebody is troubled… how should I put it… their Doppel reveals itself."

"To our understanding, a Doppel is the embodiment of that Pokemon's fear. It is a difficult concept to grasp; without one, the other cannot exist. I'll use a simple example; if someone is muted, their wish to be expressed will show in their Doppel. The real issue of a Doppel is that they are prone to attempting to escape the mirror through killing the one on our side."

Yusei thought about it. "So our reflection kills ourself?"

"We're not sure honestly. The whole concept goes against logic, as I'm sure you all know. But our thinking is this; we may encounter the killer's reflection and find out who's out to get us. I was almost another victim." Ryujin looked at all the others. "I cannot let someone I care for get hurt."

**Alrighty. They went into the mirror, and it was empty. But maybe tonight…?**

**As for updates, I've decided to post a new One-shot or lemon to In the Rain within the next two weeks just for the hell of it, especially since people have wanted a lemon for awhile _ This will be continued after that. Thanks!**

**NEasty**


	8. Ch-7

Chapter 7

_November 26, 2014_

_This is so stupid… _He adjusted his mask. _A masquerade… for high school students? Really?_ He looked around. He was impressed by how many had shown up, however. _It's a shame we had to all dress up. Hell, I can't even tell anybody apart. I mean… at least the girls are wearing dresses, but… dammit… I wanted to try talk to Keira…_

"Senpai… do you know where the girls are?"

Next to him, the oldest of them shook his head. "For a moment, I almost didn't recognize you. As for the girls… I haven't seen them. I don't know what they're wearing even. You probably know Keira pretty well though. Did she tell you anything?"

"Uhm, nope. Naruchi… and… hey, off the computer!" The Jolteon was sitting in a leather chair. He had sunglasses, a brown jacket, and was his laptop. He had a pair of strikingly orange headphones.

"What?" He took it off. "I'm just keeping track of the security cameras in case the government comes for me. You never know."

Yusei the Flareon shook his head. "He's always like this. You know how he is. He's been mild these past few days, ever since he was shamed three times."

Kousei sighed. He didn't really know what to think about the Jolteon. He had the feeling he could seriously hurt one of them if he chose to, but never needed to. Although Ryujin had easily defeated him, he still kept confident. "Don't worry, Ryujin-senpai. I'll defeat you one day."

The Vaporeon's mask hid his expression, but he nodded. "I look forward to a challenge. You were impressive."

"Don't be so high and mighty. I know you're hurting that Mitsumi-senpai left you."

The Vaporeon flinched. "I'm going to try find the others…"

Kousei glared at the Jolteon. "Look. You found a way to piss of Ryujin."

"Hey, not my fault. Developing feelings interrupts good decision-making. I've kept track of each of your reactions. I know how Kousei reacts when Keira starts talking with him. Koyuki get flustered when Ryujin simply talks to her."

"Hey, you planted camera's in the dorm? How many do you have…?" Yusei groaned. "Don't tell me; probably one in the bathhouse…"

"Yeah. Just because I said to avoid relationships doesn't mean I'm not interested in girls. Those are four sexy girls. I can't believe you haven't tried making a move on any of them." Naruchi typed something in quickly, and the screen flashed. "Hmm… Yusei, how's your Model E holding up?"

Kousei frowned. "Uh, what's a Model E?"

"Fine." The Flareon clearly didn't want to talk about whatever it was, and Kousei decided not to push it. "Why do you ask?"

"Your temperature is a little high." That was all he said before a masked Pokemon walked up to Naruchi.

"Who're you?" The Pokemon was big and masculine. "Hmm… I've never seen you before. Kousei, who is this geek?"

Naruchi took off his earphones. "Ah." His eyepiece flashed red. "Hmm… a fighting type…"

"That's right." The Pokemon took off his mask. "I'm Tsuyo; one of the heads and karate and judo club president." The Lucario was intimidating as always, especially to Kousei, who was at a type disadvantage.

"Interesting." The Jolteon's eyepiece turned blue now. "I see. Your mother was the female judo champion… your dad was an ex-military general. That's pretty impressive background info."

"Hmm… a techy, eh? But I still don't know who you are."

"Just call me Naruchi. I'm a transfer from Sapporo. I've been granted permission by the school to stay at the dorm to program."

"I see. I'll let you be, in that case," said the Lucario with a nod. "I'm looking for Ryujin. You seen him?"

Kousei pointed to where the Vaporeon had vanished. "He's wearing a black suit."

"Alright. Thanks, Kousei." The Lucario vanished into the crowd.

"You know, uh, you want to find the girls?" asked Yusei.

"Sure. How will we spot them?"

"I don't know… most have their noticeable features covered up… I hate shoving my tail down these long pants though, ugh…"

Naruchi smirked. "I don't even know why you're all going to this stupid party. It looks horribly uncomfortable."

"Maybe you'd want to come if you were part of the school, actually."

"Well well… it looks like we've got somebody interesting." His eyepiece turned red. "Hmm… it looks like a…" He suddenly looked nervous. "Hang on… I can't get a reading on this guy… um… this is bad." His eyepiece turned a dark purple now. "Could they be coming for me?" On the computer screen, a smallish Pokemon was walking through the halls. He wore sunglasses and a white cloak. Naruchi's cameras had picked him up.

"I think we should try leave. That looks like an assassin if I'd ever seen one…"

"He has a large metal sword… oh boy. Not even Ryujin's wood sword could help us. Plus he doesn't even have a weapon right now." Naruchi seemed to recover quickly. "I suggest we return to the dorm. It's the smartest decision."

"But what about the others…? What if he's not after you?" He thought of Keira being attacked by the mysterious Pokemon. "We have to find them now!"

"You're right. Let's… well, he already ran off." Yusei didn't seem surprised. "Well, let's get them. Quickly now…"

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

He had found Ryujin first. The two of them stood there, facing each other. They were in a small courtyard outside the pavilion. Four blue satellites of water swirled around Ryujin. The other Pokemon's cloak blew despite there being no wind. _So badass…_

The Pokemon pulled out a massive metal sword from behind him. He said nothing.

Ryujin was quiet as well. He kept his mask on. The Vaporeon's watery droplets changed shapes into that of needles. He himself started to become transparent.

"S-senpai… who is this Pokemon?" asked Rin. Koyuki and Rin stood nearby, holding some drinks. Both of them had their masks up. They were clearly shocked.

"What's he doing?" asked Koyuki nervously. "Are they going to fight? What's going on?"

Amazingly, nobody else had come outside. The cloaked Pokemon charged at the Vaporeon, and the Vaporeon's needles shifted into discs to shield him.

"Night Slash!" shouted the Pokemon as he was about to impact Ryujin.

The Vaporeon held out his hand, clearly bracing himself. "Acid Armor!" A thick glob of water surrounded the Vaporeon.

Then impact happened. A flash of darkness was emitted from the impact. "Nngh…" groaned Kousei. When it subsided, much to their surprise, were three Pokemon.

Tsuyo had stopped the massive sword. He had stopped the attack with his two palms. _That's right… a steel type. He can take harder hits…_

But even then, a little bit of blood trickled from a small gash.

"Attacking Ryujin… you've got a lot of guts."

The cloaked Pokemon back flipped away. He slid his large blade back into its sheath. "Tsk."

"So you're the killer?"

The cloaked Pokemon looked around briefly before darting over the stone wall behind him. He stood at the top of it, the moon glowing behind him before jumping down.

The Vaporeon's water had all vanished, and he seemed to relax, although there was a hint of unrest in his eyes.

"Was he the killer?" asked Tsuyo.

Ryujin shook his head. "No. He's not."

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, Tsuyo." He shot Kousei a glance. _Don't say anything._ "He's an… old friend of mine."

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When they returned to the dorm about 15 minutes later, the Vaporeon sat down on the couch, and sighed. "First, a secret government weapon. Now _him_." He rubbed his face. "What's going on with my life?"

"Senpai? Does this have to do with a few nights back?" Koyuki nervously sat next to him, which caused Rin to giggle.

He turned to the Glaceon. "Yeah."

She blushed slightly. Kousei knew how much she liked the Vaporeon. She had told him a lot about how highly she thought of him. "It's… who… is he? The cloaked guy."

"A very dangerous Pokemon. After the mirror a few nights back…"

None of them had spoken about it too much. Finding a bloody body inside of an alternate world will do that to you.

"We're back… huh?" Saki and Keira walked in through the door. "Oh! What's going on?"

"How was the dance, you two?" asked Kousei. _I wish I found Keira…_ "Did you dance?"

"Yup," said Keira. "Although I didn't even know who… did you?"

"No."

Saki frowned. "Ryujin looks upset. Why is that?"

"I'm just tired," he said quietly. "I… I don't know him really that well. He's an old rival though."

"Senpai… please… what did the body have to do with it?"

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_November 19, 2014_

"AAAH! What the fuck?!"

"I…" Mitsumi choked. "It's a dead… Sandslash… Fira…"

Ryujin crouched next to her. "Once the real dies, the doppel also dies. This is her reflection." He rested his hand on the passed student head's body. "I'm sorry."

They had all passed through the mirror. After stepping out of the bathhouse where they always seemed to enter through, they had found the dead Pokemon.

"This is so… wrong…" said Rin. "I mean… she's died… twice?"

"Whenever somebody dies in our world," began Ryujin, standing up, "Their doppel also kills their reflection."

"What happens if you die in here?" asked Naruchi. He looked around, his eyepiece green. "This is beyond logic."

"We probably don't want to find out. Let's hope no doppels find us."

"Where's the exit?"

"Umm… it moves each time," explained Mitsumi. "We'll have to look around for it."

Koyuki looked nervous. "Umm, there is a DEAD BODY here and we're just going to walk away from it?"

"She's already dead. We are looking for some doppel that's disturbed. If our killer has any self-conscience, then we'll be able to tell. But if they don't…"

"Ryujin is making it sound like we've done this before, but we haven't. It's just a theory, really," explained Mitsumi.

"They reflect ourselves, being reflections. So therefore, they should bear similar feelings."

"Okay… so they'll be like us, right?"

"Well… similar but different… hopefully, we'll only meet the one we're looking for…"

Too late. A shadow formed against the hallway. "Hehe… looks like I've finally found you all."

"Shit…" choked out Mitsumi. "She's here…"

**I am working on the one-shot I had planned, but… I'm still debating whether to post it and risk getting banned. Here's chapter 7. I'll spend the next week or two working on chapter 8 or the oneshot. Thanks!**

**NESpirit**


	9. Ch-8

Chapter 8

"Hehe. Hello Mitsumi!" Around the corner stepped… Mitsumi?! This one wore a long black dress and black sandals. She giggled when she saw their surprised reactions. "Aww, Mitsumi and I are good friends! Since we are each other, after all!"

The Delcatty narrowed her eyes. "We've been acquainted already. Fuck off now.'

"Haha! As if! You know, I want to see what it's like there. Although your friends will see me too, hehe."

"Calm down, Mitsumi," said Ryujin. He rested a hand on her shoulder. "Don't let your anger overwhelm you…" he cautioned.

She took a deep breath. "You're right." She crossed her arms. "How about you leave us alone? Please?"

"Hmm… I'll let you all go for now… I'm just looking for… oh, I see now." The other Mitsumi chuckled. "I'll let your friend know, Ryujin." She waved back at them before disappearing around the corner.

Ryujin seemed mortified. "Wait! This is bad… very bad…"

Kousei frowned. "Uh, am I missing something?"

"Let's just say Ryujin's reflection is… uh… a psychopath. Actually, that's an understatement. Last time, he nearly… we don't talk about…"

The Vaporeon huffed. "Let's get out of here before that stupid Vaporeon finds us."

They walked around a little more, with still no sign of the exit. "Uh, how does time pass here, Ryujin senpai?"

"We don't know. We think it passes normally."

Keira spoke up from beside Kousei. "So like… what happens if we can't find the exit?"

"Let's not find out," said Mitsumi. "I think that we've been lucky not to be attacked by an aggressive reflection."

"Yours wasn't aggressive?"

"Yeah. She won't attack us in a group… but if we get separated…" Mitsumi muttered something under her breath. "I can't stand her," was all she ended up saying.

Ryujin crouched down. "I think the exit is near here. Let's get out of here."

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_November 26, 2014_

"You know, this batch is especially good," said Keira.

Kousei sat next to the pretty Espeon. She wore a pink dress even to the curry shop. She didn't need to show skin to be attractive. "You look good," he said with a slight blush.

She looked at him. "Excuse me?"

"You… look nice," he stammered.

"Well thank you." She continued eating.

"Eh? You're not going to tell me off or call me a pervert? Or blush a little? Or anything?"

She sighed. "Be quiet, you pervert."

"Is… is something bothering you?"

She looked at her bowl. "I… I just miss my father. I was always closer to him than my mother. And then… I realized that I miss my friends. You are all nice… but…"

_Alright. You can do this. Comfort her._ He dared to wrap an arm around her. "It's… it's… alright. We're your friends."

She looked at him, then smiled. "I guess you're right. I've got no reason to feel lonely."

He nodded. "We're all your friends. Even cranky Naruchi isn't half bad once you know him."

"I guess I was just feeling lonely. I mean, Koyuki's been padding after Ryujin nowadays… and me? Well… I've still yet to be accepted into the school…" She smiled again. "But you've got my back, so I'm fine."

"Yup. Jeez, you sure eat a lot…"

She frowned at him. "Are you saying I'm fat?"

"No no! Not at all…"

She huffed. "I should hope not. Let's start going. You made me feel self-conscious, ugh…" She telekinetically lifted up some money and left it on the table. "Thanks uncle. We'll be leaving now."

"Wait, I'll pay!" But she was already leaving.

"You always pay. I'll take care of it tonight, Kousei."

_Such a perfect girl…_ "Th-thank you so much…" They walked back both in their clothes from earlier. "You know Keira… I've seen guys flocking to you during class… you keep ignoring them… why?"

"They're not interesting enough. They're all the same. Shameless idiots. No… somebody who can provide something different."

"Like me?" teased Kousei.

Much to his surprise, she simply shrugged. "Eh… you're better than most of 'em."

"Really?"

"Yeah." She paused, her face a little redder. "You've been real accommodating to me… and… thank you."

"You're welcome, Keira. You also have to thank Koyuki too. She's been needing a close friend for awhile now. For awhile, I thought it was Rin… but she's a little too flirty for Koyuki's good."

"She sure is. She's cute though, don't you agree?"

Kousei gasped. "What kind of question is that?! I mean…"

She chuckled. "Just kidding. Hey, what did you think of that mirror stuff?"

"It's… interesting. I still don't get it. I mean, two Mitsumis?"

"I know. It's rather mind-boggling. But… they have been following me my whole life too though."

"What do you mean?"

"Sometimes, my reflection would react funny. And then… I'd see shadows in window reflections and stuff." She shivered. "I know it's all related. But I'm still unsure of what it all means."

"That's disturbing. You saw reflections even before we entered the mirror?"

She nodded. "I know. It makes no sense…" The Espeon rubbed her eyes. "It's late. Let's go… home…"

"Yeah." They walked in silence for awhile before she spoke up.

"You know, I really enjoy hanging out with you. You're pretty cool, really."

"Heh. I sometimes think about how badass Ryujin is or how smooth Yusei is… I wish I could be like them."

Keira shook her head. "Ryujin is hiding a lot of things. I can sense it in his mind. There's something wrong with him; he's scared. And Yusei… yeah, there's also some things he's not telling us. He's dangerous… he doesn't want to hurt anybody."

"You can tell all that?! Wow… what about me?"

"You're a dark type," she said matter-of-factly. "We can't read dark types."

"Oh. That's pretty cool though."

"I guess it is. But don't worry about it. You're probably the most down-to-earth of all you males." She paused. "There is something that bothers me about Ryujin… I can't place it though. His fear… there is something strange going on here, Kousei."

He remembered the cloaked Pokemon and the Lucario rushing out of nowhere to protect him. He had known Ryujin for a little over a year now, but still didn't know much about him really other than his high GPA, his skill at Kendo, and the fact that his parents had passed away at a young age. Oh, and he was the step-brother of one of the most popular singers in Japan right now. Nobody had even known that. "Senpai is mysterious… no wonder girls are attracted to him."

"And Yusei… hmm… he is scared… but… it's similar to Ryujin… just… different also. He knows something…"

"Eh… he seems harmless."

"Perhaps. But if there is a reflection in the mirror… well, we'll have to see."

"Yeah. Umm…" She blushed slightly. "Could you maybe… I mean, I don't want to take advantage of our friendship, but… could you try let Ryujin know that Koyuki likes him? He's kind of oblivious… and Koyuki is a little…"

"Don't worry. Koyuki's my friend too. I'll help her out. In return, tell her she can't be an ass to me anymore."

"Of course. She's unfair sometimes! But you'll have to tell me what happened to you two…"

"Later."

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_November 27, 2014_

"You know, you still never told me what you and Keira have been doing each night."

"I told you, we just eat curry…"

Kousei, Ryujin, and Yusei were all sitting at a table outside Shimi's Market. They all had smoothies.

Kousei huffed. "Where is Naruchi?"

"He got beat up by the four girls after they found his cameras…" Yusei huffed. "For a top secret government weapon, he sure is an idiot… I mean, cameras in the bath? Really?"

"Well… I mean…"

"Even mild-mannered Keira was pissed. She didn't say anything, but that Psychic she used nearly blew up the couch."

Ryujin sighed. "Jeez, I don't know why you guys are so obsessed with naked girls…"

"Hey Ryujin. You dated Mitsumi senpai."

"That's different. She's my step-sister."

"You know… I think you and Koyuki would be adorable together," began Kousei.

Yusei looked at Ryujin for awhile. "You're right, actually. The quiet guy and bubbly girl… yeah… you'd actually be a good couple."

Ryujin sipped a blue smoothie. "I don't know. I don't think she's really into me…"

Yusei shot Kousei a glance. _Is he serious?_ "Umm… senpai… you know, I think… she really likes you…"

Ryujin sighed. "I've got a lot more important things to worry about than some under-classman who might have a crush on me." Quietly, he leaned over. "That cloaked figure we saw earlier last night… I… I think I might know him, but I'm not certain…"

"Well… who could it be?" asked Kousei.

"He wouldn't kill anybody just for the sake of it, which is why I doubt it's him…"

"Who is it?"

The Vaporeon stood up. "I'll try find him later on…" Then his phone rang. He picked it up. "Hello? Oh, hey Mitsumi… wait, you're going to do a concert here? Oh, that's great! Yeah, everybody will come… alright. See you tonight…"

"Mitsumi's going to do a concert?" asked Kousei. "Wow! I've never heard her sing."

"She's pretty good," said Yusei. "I've listened to a couple of her songs. She's very popular with girls…"

"So how have you heard her?"

"Well, Rin showed us a few of her songs. Remember?"

"Oh yeah that's right. They were about… um…"

"Love. All moony stuff," said Yusei. "It really… makes very little sense. But she is a good singer."

"I know… girls love it…" Ryujin shrugged. "I teased her about it a little bit, but she enjoys singing."

"A show tonight? So we'll go, right?"

"It's about 1:30 now," said Yusei. "What time is the show? Don't we need tickets?"

"I'm Mitsumi's friend. She'll get us in. Don't you guys worry about that. Well, then, we should head back. We'd better at least bury Naruchi after what the girls probably did to him…"

"Hey now, we didn't hurt him too bad." Saki's voice came from behind them.

"Hmph. I wanted to rip his eyeballs out," said Keira.

Rin sighed. "What a pervert…"

"So… we're going to watch Mitsumi senpai perform tonight?" said Koyuki. "We've never actually heard her sing before… she's supposed to be really good, right?"

"Yeah… she is pretty great."

Then they heard a siren in the distance…

**Haha. Well, I'm not too sure many people will expect what's going to happen next… oh well. NEasty**


	10. Ch-9

wChapter 9

_November 28, 2014_

Koyuki and Ryujin trudged through the snowy forest. They walked in silence. There was not much else to be said. The principal suspected him. Keira suspected him. Only Saki and Kousei jumped to his defense. _Why don't they trust you, senpai?_

"Koyuki. It's okay. Please turn back now if you're worried." The Vaporeon stopped walking and looked at her. "I wouldn't blame you for suspecting me," he said gently.

"No, senpai… they're all being ridiculous… but… running…"

"They all think I kidnapped Mitsumi. I knew her the best, I've got the skillset to do it, and I was at the mall at that time. I can't say much…"

"Senpai…"

The Vaporeon sighed. "We'll rest here. I don't think the police will find us here."

He set down his bag and sword. "You said your parents have a house in the mountains."

"They own a temple. Wait, you're not thinking of going there, are you?! It's a three day walk!"

"Then turn back if you want. There was no reason for you to come with me." He looked around. "There's a slight overhang there. I'll sleep there to stay out of the cold."

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_November 27, 2014_

"W-what?! Mitsumi senpai is missing?" Koyuki shrieked.

Ryujin clenched his fist. "How?! What happened?"

The police officer, a large Emboar just huffed. "It happened. Miss Mitsumi was in the back, then she vanished."

"Senpai… weren't you going to say hi to her earlier today?" asked Keira.

"Yes. I just saw her a half hour ago."

The officer narrowed his eyes. "What's your name?"

"Ryujin. Ryujin Rakachi."

He wrote down the name in a book. "Hey, you aren't suspecting senpai, right?" asked Koyuki.

"Hmph."

"Wait! What if… what if…"

"Koyuki. They'll find out it's not me. There is nothing to worry about." The Vaporeon rested his hands on her shoulder. "There is no problem. But… Mitsumi… she has a lot of fans. Some of them may want to do some nasty things to her…" He looked away. "Officer. Please find her."

"Y-yes. Of course. Say…" He rubbed his chin. "Don't you do kendo?"

"Yes. National champion for the past two years. Why do you ask?"

"Nothing. Just… we'll let you all know. Please leave the crime scene."

"Eh? What are you all doing here? Ryujin, what's your dorm doing here?" A large Arcanine stood behind them.

"Principal! I'm sorry… we were just concerned for our friend." Ryujin bowed slightly.

"Very well. I want to find the kidnapper as soon as possible. Please head back to the dorm, Ryujin."

"Of course sensei. Let's go."

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"So who do you think it could be?" asked Saki.

"I… like I said, Mitsumi has a lot of fans…" The Vaporeon had put his wooden sword on his back. He was staring out a window.

Koyuki wanted to comfort him, but Keira shook her head. _No, Koyuki._

"Senpai… could it be… perhaps… the hooded figure?" asked Kousei.

The Vaporeon didn't respond.

"Hooded figure? I… I don't recall…" Keira narrowed her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I… he tried attacking me at the masquerade." The Vaporeon crossed his arms. "I don't want to spread panic."

"You never mentioned it before!" hissed Keira. Koyuki was shocked by her anger.

"Koyuki… please, calm do-" Kousei tried resting a hand on her shoulder, but she threw it off.

"She's your sister almost! Don't you care for your family?!" The Espeon narrowed her eyes. "Unless you killed her."

"Don't say that! Senpai wo-"

"Don't you understand the importance of family?" asked Keira.

The Vaporeon turned around. "Shut up!" He walked right up to the Espeon. "Do you think it's easy, knowing your sibling is with rapists? Or perhaps an old rival? No you don't! So be qu-"

The doorbell rang. Rin ran over and answered it. "Ah, Tsuyo-senpai! What are you…"

"Ryujin. Run… they found her dress cut up. Principal thinks it's you…"

The Vaporeon's face was shocked. "But… how? What could have happened?"

"Leave now! The police are coming for you!"

The Vaporeon shook his head. "I'll prove to them that-"

A sack thudded on the ground in front of him. "Go." It was Naruchi. "In there are maps, sleeping bags, and food. Get away from here like I did."

"Why? Why should I have to leave? I have not done anything wrong! But…"

"Really? They'll come after you. What will you say? They have evidence. Find your sister."

"I…" The Vaporeon looked at them all. "I'll leave you all. See you soon."

"Wait… senpai…" Koyuki stepped forward. "You'll need some help out there… I'll come with you… why are you all turning against him?"

Keira didn't respond, and most of the others hung their heads. "Ryujin is the only student with a sword… well, the only one with a sword who saw her."

"I…"

"Ryujin! They're coming. Go now!"

The Vaporeon nodded. "Thank you."

Koyuki stepped forward. "Then I'll come with you. I think…"

"Wait, what?!" The others all gasped.

"Yes. I'll go with him." Mitsumi smiled. "We all have secrets, but mine can help Ryujin-senpai succeed."

The Vaporeon looked at her, before saying, "Let's go then. They're coming."

And with that, the two of them walked outside, where the first snow was beginning.

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_November 28, 2014_

The Vaporeon had filled a pot with boiling water using Scald. Koyuki sat across from him, watching him cook.

"Senpai… ugh-"

"Pease just call me Ryujin. And Koyuki… I know… I know what you've been hiding from me."

"I…" She paused. _Which one?_ "Er… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Koyuki Matsuchi. You think I wouldn't recognize the name of the former girls' national Kendo champion?"

"I… oh, you had to bring it up…" She sighed. "I hoped we wouldn't have to talk about that… it's all in past. Plus I've never even touched a sword in the past two years."

"Really? I never talked to you before when you still took Kendo. But I figured there was a good reason for you never bringing it up."

"Yeah. It's… complicated. Family, friendship, everything."

He sighed. "So why did you choose to come with me though?"

"Because… I… I thought you'd need help looking for the kidnapper." She made sure not to let him see her reddish face. "I'd be willing to pick up the sword again if you need help finding a friend."

The Vaporeon nodded. "You know… I'd never found somebody who could understand me at our school. You never mentioned it, so I thought to just keep quiet." He stirred the pot thoughtfully. "You tried to fit in by acting normal, am I right?"

"Yes. I… I don't want them to know what happened. But… please don't tell them…"

"Of course. The same goes with those feelings towards me, right? It was all an act right?"

She nodded reluctantly. "Yes. They were nothing more than an act to try fit in."

He sipped the broth, then pulled out some bows and chopsticks. "Let's eat." The two blue eons ate in silence. "Is it good?"

"Y-yes. It's very good. A little hot for my liking, but…"

"Well, you are an ice type," he said. "Now… I'd like to spar with you later tonight to see if you've still got it."

She shook her head. "I'm still confident I have it in my bones, Ryujin. I believe we've both seen each other fight and know what each other can do."

He tossed one of the wooden swords to her. "Come on. Let's have a quick match."

She sighed. "Really? Do I have t-" She jumped back as he took a vertical slash at her.

He chuckled. "Come on, it'll be fun." _Alright then… I have to at least show him I'm pretty strong. Who knows… he might like a girl who can defend herself…_ She quickly countered with a four slash barrage, which he deflected. "That's more like it!"

"You know… I don't get why-" She ducked under his attack. "You keep fighting like this. We don't even wear helmets now. Kyaa!" He knocked the sword from her hands with a quick hit on her hand. He held it to her chest.

"I owe it to my deceased parents to keep the tradition going." He picked up the sword she had been using and put it away. He put his back into its sheathe.

Koyuki rubbed her sore hand. "What happened to your parents anyways?" The two of them sat down and continued eating.

"Accident. My family was driving home from the beach and we flew off the road. It was by a cliff, so we fell into the water. The only reason I survived was because I chose to evolve at that time."

"I'm sorry. So both of your parents… they passed on?"

"And my younger sister. All three of them… they died that day. I was the only one to survive because of timing from a water stone I discovered that same day. I gave it to my sister, but… she wasn't ready." He pulled out his wooden sword and examined it. "This was a gift from my father when I first started kendo. I've used it ever since. That's what Mitsumi's dad told me to do to honor them."

"Mitsumi's dad?"

"They adopted me into their family after my family died. Our mothers were good friends."

"Oh… so that's how you knew each other. I'm... I never realized so much happened to you."

"That's why I lost my temper at Keira when she said I didn't care about family. I did. I tried saving my sister… but… couldn't." He looked back at Koyuki, eyes calm as ever. "That's why I must find Mitsumi. And I won't lose any of you the same way I lost my family."

"Ryujin… I always thought you were a strange one. But… I never knew…"

"It's okay. Don't… don't worry about it. But… there is one note… one thing that I must find."

"What is it?"

He paused. "This… I hope to find… the one who did this to my family." He looked down, so she couldn't see his eyes. "A note was sent to our house from an unknown address. _I'm sorry… so sorry for what I did…_"

"What?! You're saying…?"

"Somebody killed my family."

**WHAT? Yup, you better believe it! Read and review to see what happens next!**


	11. Ch-10

Chapter 10

Koyuki lay in her sleeping bag, thinking. _He brought back the past… what I had vowed not to think about again… but… I guess death is a natural thing then… right?_

She could sense the Vaporeon next to her wasn't fully asleep either. But he certainly didn't feel like starting a conversation, and neither did she. She had decided to try fit in like everybody else once she stopped, and then found Ryujin, her former counterpart. She had admired his skill in sword and his skill in being normal. He was a pretty good-looking Vaporeon as well. Naturally, she needed to find somebody to go all moony over like most girls, and he was an obvious candidate until she realized that she actually had started to develop a crush on him.

She had never intended to go along with the Vaporeon; she still didn't know why she did. But she was grateful; she knew a lot of things that others didn't, and he trusted her enough.

It was true she had never spoken to him before school. They both knew about each other, and that was good enough.

For awhile, she thought she had managed to trick him; in fact, she thought she had tricked him up until this day. But he clearly saw through it.

"Koyuki…" he began. "Remember last year? When you were first introduced to me?" He rolled over to face her.

"Yes. Rin said I should meet the other eons."

"Mm. Yes. I remember meeting Rin. She's quite a flirt."

"Oh, definitely. I… I hope I didn't come across as that…"

"No. You came across as cute, honestly. I wouldn't think that a former champion could act like that."

She blushed inwardly. "R-really?" She looked away a little.

The Vaporeon was silent for a few minutes, and when she listened to him again, his soft, steady breathing indicated he was asleep.

She gave into sleep herself soon after.

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The next morning, Koyuki was awoken by a hand gently shaking her shoulder.

"Time to wake up," said Ryujin.

"Nghh…" She rubbed her eyes and yawned. "Wha… oh, Ryujin…" She jumped awake. "Uh, right…"

"We're going to head to your parents' house, right?"

"Yeah. But it will take awhile… maybe another day if we're quick."

The Vaporeon sighed, his breath visible. "Vaporeons aren't designed for this kind of weather."

"Well, it's not that cold…"

The Vaporeon gave her a slight frown. "Glaceons…"

"Oops, sorry!"

He started rolling up the sleeping bags and put it in the sack Naruchi had given him. He was already boiling some vegetables in a pot. The sun hadn't risen yet, but Koyuki's earlier years of ringing the temple bells had helped her become used to waking up early. He handed her a cup. "It's tea," he said before taking a sip from his own cup.

She drank some of the warm drink, which tasted surprisingly good for a heated drink, then huffed. "It's good."

"I used some leaves from a bush I found earlier. I mashed a few berries in as well."

"Yeah… I can taste it real well. It has a nice tartness. I didn't know you could make tea…"

"My mother would always make special teas. I was always fascinated by them. So simple, but so vivid."

"I agree… tea is very interesting."

They drank in silence. Koyuki savored the connection they shared in that brief period of time. He exhaled after a few minutes. "Well, let's start heading up to your parents' house. It's getting rather cold, and I don't want to stay out in this cold."

"Y-yeah. Let's start going again. If you're cold… we could wrap our arms around each other. I mean, I'm warm blooded!" she added after he looked at her funny.

"I'm fine," he said with a little sniffle, which suggested otherwise.

"It's so dark though. We can barely see…"

"We should start moving. It'll help me warm up." He trudged on through the icy wilderness.

She huffed. "No need to try impress anyone…"

"We should try find the main road. Then if we're lucky, we might be able to catch a ride."

"Oh. That's a good idea. I mean, the police won't follow us into the mountains, right?"

The Vaporeon turned towards her. "Probably not. I mean, this weather isn't fun, you know. But then again… here." He tossed her one of his wooden swords. "You should be capable of delivering a heavy whack with this. Plus you're in your element."

"We'll attack the police?! Umm… Ryujin… that's insane!"

"I'm talking about the cloaked figure. He might come after us…"

"The killer?!"

"I don't think he's the killer. I think that the two events are unrelated. I mean… why kidnap this time?"

"True… do you know who it might be?"

"I don't know if you're familiar with the champion in the age group above me."

"Shikuro… right? I once saw him in a match… he was all geared up though. Do you know his species?"

"Yeah. He…" The Vaporeon paused. "Hang on… I think I hear… a car…" He started running, and Koyuki followed alongside him. "Oh! So we maybe

we'll be able to catch a ride up to my parents' place!"

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_April 3rd, 2011_

_I can't hit her… she's very quick._ Koyuki jumped back, careful not to step out of the ring. When she turned around, her opponent was already rushing at her. She yelped as the wood sword hit her on the helmet. It protected her, but it still hurt a little.

"Point red!" said the three refs simultaneously, raising their red flags.

"Urf… that means we're all tied now…" mumbled Koyuki, adjusting her helmet. She got set again for the final point of the final set.

"Ready! Begin!"

Koyuki decided to go on the offensive. She spun around her sword with precision that would make a Gallade impressed, blocking and landing hits. Finally, she saw an opening. _Here we go! Head!_

Then, with a satisfying smack, she landed a hit on her opponent's head. Her foe's eyes were big before she collapsed.

"Point white!"

Koyuki smiled and took off her helmet. "Yes! I finally… wait, are you okay?" Her opponent didn't move. "Help! I think she's out!" _Oh god… what have I done?_

And then she saw a Vaporeon and an Absol standing just outside the ring. She locked eyes with both of them. The Vaporeon looked horrified, while the Absol crossed his arms. _The two older champions… what do they want?_ The Vaporeon whom she believed to be Ryujin walked away quickly before giving Koyuki a final glance. And the Absol… Shikuro was it? He looked at her, eyes emotionless.

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"Koyuki… Koyuki. We're here."

She opened her eyes. The Vaporeon… yes. He had seen her do it. He was horrified of her. But at the same time… Shikuro was an Absol. And from what she remembered, Ryujin's friend. "Ryujin… Shikuro… was an Absol wasn't he?"

The Vaporeon opened the doo before handing the driver some yen. The driver was long gone before he responded. "Yes. How did you remember?"

"I… well… I remembered my final match…"

"We… we saw what happened. It wasn't your fault, Koyuki."

"I don't care about that. I don't want to do Kendo anymore in case I hurt someone again. But… what are you keeping secret from me?"

"Koyuki… some things should not be said. Some stones better left unturned."

"I-" She wanted to argue, but then she saw the large temple she had seen so many times before. "Mom… dad…" She slowly walked to the gate of the massive temple her mother had inherited.

"So this is your… house? It's impressive…"

"Well, it is a temple so…"

"Yeah, I know that. It's just… so large."

They pushed the creaky bronze gate open. "Well… let's meet my parents."

A snowy courtyard stood between the main door and the gate. "Koyuki…" The Vaporeon walked slowly through the courtyard. Snow crunched beneath their shoes. "Koyuki… why did you come with me?"

Snow continued to fall around them. "Why? I… I don't even know. I knew that we should help each other."

He continued to walk on. "I feel like I owe you an explanation for exactly what happened between Shikuro and myself. I will tell you tonight, promise."

She looked down, unsure of how to respond.

"Koyuki… you and I… we have a lot more in common than we realize. You left your parents for a reason… and I lost mine. And here we are…"

"Oh look! We're here!" she said, thankful they had reached the main door. She knocked on it.

The Vaporeon crossed his arms. "How are your parents?"

"Th-they're…"

The door opened to reveal a beautiful Glaceon. She wore a traditional white kimono. Koyuki liked to imagine that she looked similar to her mother. Her mother smiled. "Koyuki dear! What are you doing here?"

"We came to visit!" She bowed slightly. Next to her, the Vaporeon stood, arms crossed.

"Eh?! Who's this Vaporeon?!" She looked back and forth between them. "Gah! Are you Koyuki's boyfriend?!"

"Mom! It's not like that!" Her face must have been so red.

Ryujin slowly adjusted his glasses. "We are looking for a place to stay. Would it be okay if we-"

"Of course! I mean, we can't leave you two out in the cold."

"Thank you." He bowed slightly, then added, "My name is Ryujin."

"Ryujin? Oh my, aren't you that kendo boy?"

"Yes. That's me."

Koyuki's mother smiled. "Well come inside. Your dad is in town, shopping."

"Yeah. About that…" Koyuki sighed. "Both my parents are Glaceons. That's what they evolved into to take care of the temple. So naturally, I became one as well. My dad was also my kendo instructor. I imagine he'd like to challenge you. Just a heads up."

"I see. Well then…"

"Er… my dad doesn't take kindly to boys. Like, if he finds out we spent a night out together… he'll probably kill you."

The Vaporeon didn't seem too worried. "I'm sure I can convince him I'm harmless to your virginity."

"What kind of comment was that?" mused Koyuki's mother.

"I'm sorry, miss…" Ryujin seemed embarrassed. "That was awfully inappropriate."

"Oh, no worries." The older Glaceon smiled. "I'm happy that you've taken a liking to Koyuki. Her dad may not be as aggressive once he learns that you're a former champion."

"He's not my boyfriend!" squeaked Koyuki. "Mom! You're not helping…"

"Well, I heard you spent last night in the snow. This handsome Vaporeon couldn't stay warm, so you probably had to warm him! In the best way possible!"

"Mom! What the fu-"

Ryujin shot Koyuki a glance. "Uh, your mother is… interesting…"

"She's sort of always like this. It doesn't bother me. But… it's my dad you have to look out for… that's part of the reason I wanted to dorm away… they were, well, are so weird! Gah!"

Koyuki was crushed by a hug from her mother. "Oh you! Wanting to leave us so you could get together with some hot Vaporeon! So bad!"

The Vaporeon stared at them awkwardly. He rubbed the back of his neck. "At least she cares for you…"

**Next time, we meet Koyuki's mysterious father… Please read and review!**

**PM me any questions you have so far! NEasty**


	12. Ch-11

Chapter 11

The sound of two wooden swords striking each other echoed throughout the courtyard.

_Bah… hah… hah… I'm so out of shape…_ The wood sword felt heavy in her hands. The Vaporeon was going easy on her; she could feel it. _Maybe a few years back, I could beat him. But not now! EEP!_ She narrowly blocked a leg attack.

"Come on Koyuki… an 8 year old could have done better…" he teased.

"Shut up! I'm out of shape! An 8 year old probably could beat me!"

"Koyuki… I'm sorry…" He tossed his sword into the snow. "That was mean."

"No! No need to apologize to me! I'm just frustrated…"

"I… uh, oh. Alright then. Let's try again."

_His left leg is moving… perfect. Jab strik- wait, what?! Shit!_

She rubbed her sore arm angrily. "Stop hitting me! I'm out of practice! You practice 24/7!"

"You've got to get better!" he hissed. "Work harder!"

"Why are we doing this? I quit because I nearly killed somebody!"

"You're ridiculous! You wanted to help me when you can't even hit somebody?!"

"Ryujin?! What's your problem?" He picked up his sword and walked back into the temple without speaking. _What an asshole… gee, what's up with him? _For the first time, she was upset at him. "Why did you get upset so quickly, Ryujin?" She felt awful. _Did I do something to anger him…? But what? _She sighed. "I'm sorry… for whatever I did…" _Should I apologize? But… no… if I do that, he wins! I can't let him beat me when I did nothing wrong! Fine! I'll talk to him! But not now… still…_

She walked back inside and sighed. Candles lit up the wooden halls, since there was no electricity. The wood floor creaked with each step she took, and she remembered how creepy it had been to live here. Her mother wasn't around, and she saw no sign of Ryujin other than his shoes. She carefully walked around the temple, looking for either of them until she came to her room. She lay down on her futon, and exhaled loudly. "It's been awhile since I've been here…" The last time she had laid upon this bed had been that day… the day she murdered a fellow combatant. She didn't want to think far back. Her little Leafeon doll named Daisy was still next to the futon. She patted the head of her doll. "I didn't want any of that to happen. You're the only one who gets me, Daisy…"

"Umm, Koyuki dear? Have you seen your boyfriend?"

"Gah! Mom?!"

The older Glaceon stood in the doorway. "Yeah. I can't find Ryujin… did you anger him?"

"H-how did you know?!"

"I saw him walk past angrily. He was headed to the town."

Koyuki was quiet. "I should just leave him. He was angry that I couldn't keep up with him." _But why…?_

"That's all? I think you should go talk to him. He seems mature… but men do make rash decisions when upset."

"I… Ryujin wouldn't do that!" But she sighed. "So be it." She pulled herself to her feet. "I'll go get him."

"Koyuki… be careful. There have been some mafia members hanging out around the town. Just… don't get in trouble." He mother kissed her on the cheek. Koyuki reached under the futon to pull out her old birthday present; the Nevermeltice blade passed from her parents. Her sister had one too, but it was longer and heavier. Koyuki got dressed in their traditional white kimonos. They had pretty blue flowers dotted on them.

She stepped out into the cold air that she loved. A little ways down on a hill, the lights from the village glowed in the darkness. She clipped the sheathe to her side and walked down the snowy hill. It was hard to see, so she had to squint to avoid trees. _I need to conserve my phone's battery…_ Finally, the lights became bright enough. She stepped into the main stone path, lined with houses. This village had somehow evaded most modernization; a few houses had electricity, but it was quite quaint and bland to her. Which also factored into why she wanted to leave. Many of the vendors along the street would gently bow to her; she was known to be the child of the temple owners. She smiled at them, but knew she had to find Ryujin.

Koyuki looked through the different stands, hoping to find the Vaporeon, but she couldn't see any water types even. She asked around, but nobody had seen any Vaporeon. When she was looking through one crowded stand, she felt a shiver run through her body. She turned around. _N-no way!_ It was the cloaked figure who had attacked Ryujin at the masquerade. She felt it looking straight at her despite the fact that she couldn't see his eyes. She rested a hand on hilt of her blade. She turned around quickly to check one last time, then looked back at the figure. He slowly walked to a small rock garden at the edge of the forest and town and looked away from her. She slowly walked next to him.

"Who are you?" she whispered. "Did you kidnap Mitsumi?!" she asked more angrily.

He pulled his cloak back. "Koyuki."

"Ryujin?! I th- I thought you were the cloaked Pokemon!"

"I bought this cloak since I was cold." He smiled slightly. "Look, I'm sorry for losing my temper earlier. Can you forgive me? I was a real jerk…"

"O-of course!" she looked away, embarrassed by the way he was looking at her.

"You look pretty in traditional clothes," he said.

She blinked. "Wait, wh-" He was already walking away. She felt her face turn slightly red.

"Koyuki, could you show me around here?"

"Y-yes!"

The two of them walked through the town. The Vaporeon walked next to her. She was so nervous… the two of them walking alone… but it was different from earlier. He had specifically asked her to show him around!

"I'm really sorry about getting mad at you," he began again, without looking at her.

"Please stop apologizing… you're making me feel bad!"

"It's just…" He stopped and looked at her. "I don't want you to get hurt. Or anyone for that matter. That's why I think you need to defend yourself."

She looked at him with a face she imagined to be pretty shocked. "O-okay…" she squeaked. _Oh god, how do I respond to that?_ "I… I think you need to protect yourself too…" _Wait, I'm saying he's weak?! No!_

He frowned, and she flinched internally. Then he patted her on the shoulder. "You're right. I have to protect myself too."

She smiled. "Would you like to get something to eat? My mom is cooking, but…"

"Alright then. Maybe we could get some sweets… I heard you like chocolates."

"Eh? From who?"

"Rin. Although it's pretty clear… I… found your chocolate stash under your bed when I was cleaning…"

"Gah! You were in my room?!"

"Saki gave me permission. Remember the day we cleaned?"

"Yeah… we went to the movies and Yusei and Kousei helped you right?"

"Yeah, that day. We-"

"Koyuki… who is this boy?"

They both turned to the side. Koyuki gasped. "Dad?!"

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"Who are you?" Koyuki's dad glared at Ryujin from across the table.

"Dad, this is Ryujin. He's a friend from school."

"A boyfriend?"

"N-no! No way!"

"Hmm… you say Ryujin. Too bad he's not that kendo boy… if you'd continued, you could be at his level. He could probably help you more than I could."

Koyuki started speaking. "Uh well, you see…"

"Ryujin Rakachi? The kendo champion? Yeah, the same name and species. But he's supposed to be really good right?" The Vaporeon shrugged.

"Really good? He's dominated every age group for the past 5 years!"

"Yes… I certainly aspire to be like him someday. I'm a mere student."

"So what are you doing here with my little Koyuki? Planning to do evil things to her?"

"Dad! Calm down… he's…"

"No. I'm just her dorm head. I was assigned to take care of her over winter."

"Isn't it a little early for break…?" ventured Koyuki's mother.

"Koyuki wanted to visit you guys." Ryujin crossed his arms. "I'm just keeping an eye on her."

"Hmph. You sure seem cocky for a guy with nothing special." Her dad looked ready to explode.

Ryujin sipped tea calmly. "Mr. Matsuchi, the nationally known kendo teacher… I'm nothing compared to you."

Her dad clenched his fist. "Out of here, you!"

The Vaporeon shook his head. "I can't. I'm responsible for Koyuki."

In a heartbeat, her father reached to his side and pulled out his wooden sword. "Cocky little fuck! Leave my daughter alone!"

"Dad…" gasped Koyuki.

The Vaporeon didn't move to reach his sword, but just held his arm up. He flinched when it connected with a painful thud.

"Stop it!" shouted Koyuki's mother. "Leave the poor boy alone! When we started dating, my dad was nothing like you!"

"THEY'RE DATING?!"

"N-no!" squeaked Koyuki, but she was interrupted by her mother.

"YEAH! THEY MAKE A CUTE COUPLE TOO!"

Koyuki's dad took another slash at Ryujin. This time, the Vaporeon pulled his sword strapped to his back and blocked it. Her dad's eyes became big. "You blocked it? But how?"

Ryujin handed her dad his wooden sword. "This was a gift from my father."

It had his name sketched into it. "Rakachi… Ryujin… gah! Wait, you're the kendo prodigy?"

The Vaporeon sighed. "I'd been hoping to keep it secret, but yes… I am in fact Ryujin Rakachi."

"Ah… I…" Her dad crossed his arms. "Hmph. I can't believe I didn't recognize you."

"I'm sorry, Yakeru sensei." The Vaporeon bowed slightly. "It's been awhile since I've seen you at tournaments. I didn't have my glasses then."

"Yeah, I can tell. You've become quite mature looking compared to the little boy back then. Your sword skills have gotten exponentially better from what I've seen. In that case… I've got no problem with you staying here with Koyuki. You should have a good influence on her."

"I hope so… thank you very much."

"Hmm… I guess I'd be okay with you hanging out with Koyuki…"

"Just like that?" groaned Koyuki.

"Of course. Any skilled swordsman will have the honor never to touch a lady unless she asks."

He looked at Koyuki who put her hands up. "I-I'm-I wouldn't ask! Don't worry!"

"You better not… nobody will touch my daughter…" grumbled Koyuki's dad. His eyes glinted dangerously. "Even you, Ryujin."

**Next time… well, just wait and see! Read and review; please! :3 **


	13. Ch-12

Chapter 12

_December 1st, 2014_

Koyuki and Ryujin sat on a snow covered bench in the city. The Vaporeon looked tired; Koyuki imagined she looked the same. They had searched the city after deciding that they had to find the kidnapper.

"I want to find Shikuro," he had said at the temple. "I think he probably has something to do with this."

Koyuki had asked him why, but he would simply shake her off.

"I can't explain it. I'll tell you once we find him."

So they had been driven down by one of the older ladies who gave a long winded speech about using "protection" and stuff. Thankfully, Ryujin had some headphones (since when?) so it wasn't too awkward.

But now… sitting on the bench next to him was way worse. He adjusted his glasses as he looked at a map. "Hmm… there is a dojo nearby. But it's already late. What do you say we rent a hotel room?"

"H-hotel room? As long as it's not… you know…" They both nodded in agreement not to go to one of "those" hotels. "How about this one?"

"Mmhmm. It's about a five minute walk."

"Alright then."

The two of them walked through the streets. Koyuki felt uneasy; not because she was close to Ryujin, but because she felt she was being watched.

The Vaporeon must have sensed it too and put his cloak up. "Hold my hand," he murmured.

"Ryujin? B-but… ngh…" The Vaporeon's hand slowly grasped hers.

"We'll look less suspicious while I can cover my face."

The two of them quickly walked into the main lobby of the hotel. "Good evening, young lovers. Do you two need a room?"

Ryujin reached into his pocket and pulled out some money. "Yes please."

"Follow me please."

After being shown to their room, they both thanked the bellboy. Ryujin took off his cloak and hung it before lying on the bed. He rubbed his face. "I miss the others… don't you, Koyuki?"

"Yes… I miss them all. Keira, Kousei… Yusei… Saki-senpai, Rin… even Naruchi."

"I… I'm happy to have you here with me, Koyuki. I'd be terribly lonely without you."

"Me too…" she said. She lay down next to him. "My dad seemed to like you a little, which is big for him."

"Eh, not to brag, but I'm popular with fathers too."

"Oh really…"

They lay there in silence. Then Ryujin said, "If you want to bathe or something, feel free to. I've… got to make a call."

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Koyuki sighed as the icy water soaked her skin. It sent shivers down her spine. It felt great really. She reached for her wooden sword next to the bath. She held it with her wet hands and examined it. Ryujin had given it to her on the car ride back.

"Your dad wanted me to give it to you," he had said.

She felt the wooden creases in it. _So smooth… but so deadly._ She remembered how natural it had all felt before she quit. She had felt… invincible. Then one hit… and suddenly, she was a monster… but in reality, this sword was the same. Looking pretty and harmless… but suddenly…

But in reality, that was what she admired most about Ryujin. He never boasted and always seemed in control, despite having such skills. And now that she knew that he had known all along but still treated her the same… she couldn't help but admire that. _To know someone is a monster… yet not treat them like one…_

She lifted her leg out of the water. "We'll find Mitsumi… for Ryujin's sake," she said to herself. "But why would he kidnap her?" mused Koyuki. She continued to look at the wooden sword. "What if… Mitsumi is working with the kidnapper?!" She sighed. "What am I thinking… no way… she'd never do something like that. But why would somebody kidnap her?" There were a lot of disturbing reasons; fanboys, money… but she knew not to look at things so simply. She had a bad feeling it had something to do with Ryujin. He had been shot at just a week ago, so it didn't seem too surprising that someone would try kidnapping a good friend of his to perhaps have a chance to even the score. Or maybe it was just a fanboy… who knew what was going on inside some kidnapper's mind or what they wanted.

She thought about what was going through Ryujin's mind. _He must be so worried… and scared for Mitsumi. And… I kind of am as well._ She stood up, icy water dripping from her body, and began to dry off. She was drying off her tail and bangs when she heard the door creak open. She covered herself with the towel. "Ryujin?! What are you doing?!"

The Vaporeon looked at her, slightly surprised. "Oh, sorry! I thought that you might have gotten hurt… you were in there for a good hour…"

She felt herself blush. "Get out!"

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A few hours later, Ryujin and Koyuki both stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom.

"You're telling me that anybody can walk over into this mirror world?" said Koyuki with a groan. "How has nobody found it yet?"

"I have no idea… maybe when people go missing, they fell into the mirror and never came out?" A few moments later, they both stepped through.

"So we'll try communicate with the mysterious Pokemon's doppel?"

"Sort of… but we never know what we'll find. We could find something unusual… like my doppel… or perhaps yours."

"Maybe… oh boy, I hope my doppel isn't too fucked up…"

"Most of them are. Just a warning. Mine happens to be a psychopath. Mitsumi's is a sociopath. I have no idea what yours would be. Hmm…"

Koyuki paused. "Could we meet the others if they choose to go mirror-walking?"

"Possibly. But meetings with others in a mirror are few and far between." The Vaporeon looked around carefully. "I'm picking up a bad vibe. Stay alert."

Koyuki held her sword up. "Alright, senpai…"

"I though I told you not to call me that…"

"What's wrong with that? It's a compliment…"

"Hmph. Reminds me too much of those animes where…"

"Uh, let's not go there," she said quickly. She felt something move along the ground. She scowled, then whipped around and sliced whatever it was that was sneaking up on them. It was a black Seviper. She gasped. "What the-?"

Ryujin quickly stabbed it through the top of its head. "Good eye." It quickly dissolved into a puddle of black sludge.

Koyuki gasped. "Your sword… it's metal now!"

He frowned. "I always bring my actual weapon into the mirror. Most things we kill here are manifestations of fear. Nobody is actually getting hurt," he explained. He smiled; a rather demented one actually. "That's why I like the mirror. I can hone my skills without hurting anybody."

"That's scary…"

The Vaporeon shrugged. "I've known about the mirrors for awhile now. Since me and Mitsumi used them from a young age, I've learned what it means to go all out. That's where I get my strength from."

"Ryujin, more are coming…"

Various dark doppels arose from the ground and air. They both pulled out their swords. "Sorry. We'll talk more later."

"Alright."

The two of them fought back to back, slashing and using special attacks. "Your right, Koyuki," he said.

"Ryujin, above!"

The two of the covered each other with amazing precision. _I didn't know kendo even trained us in teamwork… but we can help out one another. _Next to the Vaporeon, she felt comfortable. All the years of training seemed to rush back to her hands. She knew she could trust him to protect her.

And she also did her best to protect him. Within a few minutes, they had reduced everything to a pool of black.

Ryujin slipped his blade into his sheath. "Looks like you've got it back," he commented.

"I-I guess. We did work well together."

Koyuki put away her sword. "I wonder where all the doppels are…"

Ryujin quickly reached over her face. "What the- mmph?"

He cupped his hand over her mouth and wrapped his other arm around her stomach. "Shh!" He spoke quietly. "Move into the shadows there!"

The two of them silently moved into a hidden spot.

Around a corner walked two Pokemon. Both of them wore cloaks. It was difficult to discern what species they were; identical brownish coats. On of them looked roughly an inch shorter than the other, but even gender was difficult to make out.

They seemed to gracefully float over the ground. Both of them carried an ominous aura.

"Where are they?" murmured one of them.

"Hmm… I feel them nearby. But I can't see them…" The taller one turned to where Koyuki and Ryujin were hiding. They both quickly ducked.

"Perhaps they kept moving away?"

"Maybe." The taller one wrapped his arms around the shorter one. "We'll catch them…"

Then it hit Koyuki. "Wait. Those are… us?" she whispered.

Ryujin nodded grimly. "Shh…"

A moment later, an icicle imbedded itself an inch away from Ryujin's mouth. "Hehe, found them Ryujin."

The shorter of the cloaked figures pulled hers back to reveal what Koyuki anticipated; a clone of herself. She pulled out an icy blade identical to Koyuki's.

"Looks like I've found you finally!" she said with a smile. "But then again, we've known each other forever, right?"

The other cloaked figure revealed himself; a perfect clone of Ryujin, except without any of the gentleness the actual Vaporeon had.

"Ryujin…" murmured the doppel of the Vaporeon. "It's been quite long…"

Ryujin rested his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I don't want any trouble. You of all Pokemon should know that."

"I've got no intentions of fighting you at the moment. Surprising when one isn't ready has no honor…" He straightened his back. "But Koyuki has some problems she must sort out."

Koyuki narrowed her eyes at her doppel. "You want to kill me? Come on then."

"How cute. That's what everyone thinks…"

"So?"

The other Koyuki smiled. "You're such a wimp." Softly, she added, "Why don't you just confess your feelings?"

"What? What are you trying to say?"

"You know what you want. You want him to be firm with you. To be more than just his friend. You want to be the one he sets his eyes on." She chuckled. "But you're too scared of rejection."_ Scared of rejection… is… is that true? No… I…_ "More precisely, you don't want him to leave you."

"I…"

"It's true," she said with a laugh. "You're scared."

"Shut up already!" screamed Koyuki. Maybe it was how close her reflection's words were to the truth, or maybe she was just unsettled. Either way, she knew that right now, she had made the decision to attack her.

The other Glaceon just laughed. "As expected. No control. Like when you killed her!"

**Right when it's getting good, VIEW SHIFT! Hahaha! :D Please read and review.**


	14. Ch-13

Chapter 13

_"He's not going to make it, is he?"_

_ Naruchi heard voices in the distance. He had a hard time breathing. It was as if he was hearing everything through a tunnel… except they were right next to him._

_ "It's alright." One of the doctors patted him on the head. "You're going to sleep for awhile, alright?"_

_ "Please… don't…" He could barely speak. Then darkness overwhelmed his body._

_ When he awoke an immeasurable amount of time later, he felt different. His chest felt heavy and so sore he almost wanted to cry in pain. He clutched it, and felt sticky blood coat his hands. He shrieked in fear._

_ That was when he noticed the Pokemon in a white cloak in the corner of the room. "How are you today, Naruchi?"_

_ Naruchi clutched his chest. "My… they said…"_

_ "You needed a new heart. I'm the one who led the operation." He stood up, and now Naruchi could recognize who he was. It was Komiji Rakachi; the head of the program._

_ "Why did I need a new heart?"_

_ "Because we want to turn you into the ultimate weapon for the nation! If… if we succeed, you'll pave the way to ultimate strength!"_

_ Ultimate strength…? That sounds cool. "Umm… okay. Tell me what I must do."_

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_ Many years later, Naruchi remembered meeting the other two Model E users; Yusei, who would later become his best friend, and Minato, who would go into hiding like himself._

_ Yusei, the Eevee with an illness that had been forced to take the Model E._

_ Minato, the scarred Pikachu who had willingly taken the Model E._

_ All three of them had been operated on to receive a special aspect; Yusei had received perception, Minato had received strength and speed, and Naruchi had received intellect. All three of them had heightened abilities in all three, but they had all learned each of their strengths in particular._

_ "We'll escape one day," said Minato. "This isn't right." The Pikachu was roughly 3 years older than him. Naruchi remembered sitting around the table eating with his friends. They had been training. A lot had changed recently. All 3 of them had been honing their skills. Dr. Komiji had quit the position, and wanted to tear down the program, but no news of him had been heard for awhile._

_ Then it happened. That fateful day neither of them would forget._

_ Yusei's parents had picked him up a few months ago, but Naruchi had kept in touch with him through eMail._

_ "We've got a mission for you," was all they had said._

_ He remembered being in the van on the way to the mission._

_ "We're going to have you two destroy a car."_

_ "Is there anyone in it?" asked Minato._

_ "No."_

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_November 28th, 2014_

There had been a lot of questions. Naruchi, not technically a member of the school, had locked himself inside the boys' room to avoid all the media attention. When a national superstar is kidnapped, it's expected. He was tempted to shut down the communications and force them to get new devices, but they'd be back eventually, so he just looked through the government's database. Bored after only a few hours, he decided to try and locate Ryujin and Koyuki. It looked like they were heading up along a road. It looked like it was snowing.

He heard somebody knocking on the door. He frowned, then closed his laptop and opened the door. "Oh, it's you."

Yusei walked in looking tired. "Urf… those reporters sure are nosy."

"Hmph. At least I don't have to answer questions. Technically, I'm not even here. How are the others doing?"

He shrugged. "Keira and Kousei ran out the door a few minutes ago, and Saki and Rin are still answering questions. It's already 8:30… jeez, do they ever leave?" The Flareon yawned. "I wonder if Ryujin and Koyuki are okay… have you been tracking them?"

"A little bit. They've continued moving, so I think they're okay." Naruchi pulled off his eyepiece and set it next to the bed. "You go bathe. I'm going to try track my pursuers. It looks like they haven't found me yet, but I need to know where they are."

"Alright." He walked out of the bedroom again, closing the door behind him. Naruchi pulled open the scanner on his computer. He fanned through his files and looked for the different trackers he had. _Minato… where are you? Your tracker has gone missing._ He had implanted his friend with a tracker when they were younger, and Minato had kept it fresh, since Naruchi had wanted to keep in touch with him somehow. It had apparently died, and Naruchi felt guilty for not having checked earlier.

Then he felt it. _Argh… not again…_ A sharp pain burned in his chest. He clutched it tightly. "Fuck… fuck…" he said with grit teeth. _Stupid Model E… nngh… if I'd known about the side effects, I never would have taken it_. He lay there, clutching his chest in agony for what felt like hours, and when it finally subsided, he felt so weak.

He struggled to his feet, and when he finally got up, Rin was right there, staring at him. "Oh my! A-are you okay Naruchi?!"

"Yeah." He braced himself with the wall. "I'm okay."

Then she gasped. "Y-your shirt! You're bleeding!"

"I'm alright… this is natural." He looked down. The stitches over his chest must have come undone.

"You're hurt! We have to get you to the hospit-"

"No. You take me there, and I'll be taken back to the lab." He pulled off his shirt and walked into the bath. "Go away. I don't need your pity."

"Please! I'll go get Saki! She co-"

He closed the door on her. "Leave me alone."

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He stitched his chest back together, which was as painful as it sounded. Luckily, the holes were still there, but it still hurt like hell. He fried the first thread by accident, and it took all his self-control not to flinch after. He washed the blood off his hands. _It's always like this… every month or so, it starts to act up. But this is one of the first times it has bled…_ He stepped into the water and grimaced as the water stung the wound, but took a deep breath and calmed himself down._ My time… it's slowly running out. It's leaking…_

He reached for his phone and checked the numbers on the Model E.

_Corrosion point until death: 54%_

He paused. "So… a month maybe… I've got to fix it…"

Yusei's Model E had not been updated, making it a lot less dangerous. Minato's Model E was similar to Naruchi's though. It was important that he found a way to stop the corrosion.

He soaked for about 10 minutes, then stepped out of the bath. The model E was something he had been happy to have… but now, he just wanted to blend in and be normal. His dad had been his idol before, but now, he realized that his father wanted him to become a killer. Naruchi had thought it was cool before, but now… it was the last thing he wanted.

He walked down and sat on a couch to watch TV.

_"Hello, this is Mikura. We are at the scene of…"_

Naruchi recognized her as Yusei's cousin. Since Yusei's uncle would visit before, he recognized the young Typhlosion on the screen. He flipped off the television. He wanted something that wouldn't bring up a Model E one bit.

It was already late, and he felt himself slowly drifting to sleep. He heard the door slam shut and looked up. Kousei and Keira stepped through. Keira looked very distressed, and Kousei looked upset.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to find Ryujin… I… he has to come back." Keira looked down. "I was wrong to accuse him."

"Why?"

Kousei spoke up now. "Another student was murdered. The head of the math club. Stabbed in the neck. Akura-senpai."

"How?! Where?"

"He was found outside Kihiko hall. I don't know who it could be any more… is it even a student?"

"Who knows… we must tell the other three."

"I heard." Yusei stepped out from the corner to the kitchen. "I was cooking some noodles. Akura… why would they kill him?"

"N-no… not another one... who this time?" Saki and Rin walked down the stairs.

"Akura."

Saki flinched. "He's in a lot of my classes… this… the school might close now… this is huge."

"What?! But they can't!"

"This is 6 deaths now I think, plus Ryujin being shot and Mitsumi being kidnapped not too long ago. I don't see how they could keep the school open, honestly… it might be best."

"But where would Naruchi stay?" asked Yusei.

"Stop worrying," said Rin. "It's not closing yet…" She nudged the Flareon, who seemed mildly surprised.

Then Kousei held up a hand. "Let's stay calm. Two of our friends are on the run right now, and we probably are under question for what happened. We shouldn't worry about it more than necessary."

Keira shuffled her feet. "If we do happen to leave the school, you guys could stay with my aunt."

"Hopefully, it won't come to that," said Rin. "It's rather unusual though that all the student heads are being targeted. Why would they be targeted? Maybe they know something…"

They all thought about it in silence. Yusei spoke up. "I sure hope that Ryujin and Koyuki are fine…"

"It's cold out there. But Koyuki's an ice type, and Ryujin probably has some ninja magic or something to keep him warm," said Kousei.

"Uh, I thought he just did kendo. He's not a ninja…" began Keira.

"Yeah. He doesn't," said Saki. "It was just a joke I think. Let's make sure nobody else gets hurt. All of you, please be careful. Ryujin thinks of you all as family… and so do I."

Naruchi looked at them all. _A family… are they really my friends? Can I trust them all?_ He had felt obligated to help out Ryujin and Koyuki when they were about to leave. _A family… where are you, Minato?_

**Sorry for the delay. I was on a trip _ Please read and review!**


	15. Ch-14

Chapter 14

_December 1__st__, 2014_

Naruchi's chest was burning again for the second time in three days. _68%_ There was no blood this time, but the pain had woken him up. Last night, he had attempted to edit the programming of the Model E, but the time he had spent last night had drained him. And apparently, it hadn't worked again.

He turned around to check his newest project; at least the updates for that had been successful. He sat up, and rubbed his eyes. "Cypher one, status report."

_"98.7% battery, all functions accessible."_

"Cypher two, your turn."

_"99.2% battery, all functions accessible."_

"Good. Cypher three."

_"99.1% battery, all functions accessible."_

He sighed. "Good." The Cyphers had been something he had been working on over the past month. Each one of them had a high powered coil within that should bolts of electricity and could fly up to fifteen feet away from Naruchi's eyepiece. Probably his favorite feature was that he could link them together electronically, creating a square between himself and the cyphers. It was really his actual weapon; hand to hand combat was okay, but the cyphers would give him a whole new level of strategy.

"Naruchi, what the hell are those things?" Kousei had woken up and poked Cypher 2.

"They're Cyphers; mechanized weapons that allow me attack."

"Huh… must be cool being smart." The Umbreon put down the Cypher, then said, "What's wrong with your chest? What's up with that scar?"

"It's… uh, an accident." _Not exactly a lie…_

"Alright." Thankfully, the Umbreon didn't push and just looked outside, where it had begun to snow. "You know… I'm actually worried."

Naruchi typed some code into his computer without looking at the Umbreon. "About what?"

"You know… Ryujin and Koyuki."

"So is everyone else." Naruchi looked at the numbers and characters thoughtfully. "Ryujin is more than capable, and you know as well as I that Koyuki has an… interesting past."

"So you did research us."

Naruchi shrugged. "It was easy. You were honestly the most difficult to find."

"Yeah, because I've got no major accomplishments."

"I didn't meant it like that."

Naruchi typed in silence while Kousei stood there uncomfortably. "Why did you help them?" the Umbreon finally asked.

Naruchi thought about what to say. "Why are you guys allowing me to stay here? I needed help and you all offered it. It's illogical to keep me here when the government is chasing me, just as it's illogical to try help Ryujin and Koyuki on some wild goose chase."

Naruchi thought of what his friend Minato had once mentioned. _"You know… what's the point of us? We're meant to kill…"_

"One of my old friends once said that it's important to help others."

"That's what life is about."

Naruchi spun around. "What… what… it's you!"

The scarred Pikachu smiled. "Long time no see Naruchi."

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"I'm more concerned how you got in here…"

After a slightly false introduction of Minato being a longtime friend(which wasn't exactly a lie), Kousei had been more concerned about the walking weapon's way of entrance.

"I just walked in here…"

"It's locked though…"

"Naruchi." The Pikachu turned his attention to the Jolteon. "So you finally left too…"

"Only a year after you. I wasn't enjoying the assignments."

Kousei tilted his head as if he was thinking something, but then just shrugged. "I should probably be freaked out about a stranger walking into our dorm at this time of the morning, but things have been pretty strange recently."

Minato was older than the two eons, and was significantly larger too. He didn't have Yusei's raw physical strength, but in terms of overall physical ability, Minato was probably the best of the three. Emotions were probably what made Minato different than anybody Naruchi knew; he was prone to bouts of depression and anger. Combined with his size and speed and the researchers had been extremely careful with him. Both of them had newer Model E's; Naruchi suspected Minato might be having a similar problem to that of himself.

"Kous- oh, he's gone." The Umbreon's footsteps echoed down the 2nd floor hall. Naruchi turned to the Pikachu. "How's your Model E holding up."

"Not too well… it's bled the past few days. Could you check my level?" Naruchi quickly connected his computer to the Model E's system wirelessly.

"You're sitting at 74%... a little bit more than me." Naruchi thought about what to say. He didn't want the Pikachu getting all depressed.

"How much time do I have?" he asked quietly.

"I can't say for certain… depending on factors such as muscle mass and blood thickness, it can vary." It was true; the percentage was calculated to Naruchi's smaller body. Minato could very well be sitting at only 60% of _his_ capacity.

The Pikachu looked away. "That can't be good."

"Hmph. So what exactly are you doing here?"

"Hiding like you. I've been coming here for awhile," said the Pikachu matter-of-factly.

"But you're technically older…"

"I still need to learn. I heard a Espeon and Leafeon talking about a Jolteon, so I knew you'd probably be here. We all don't have insane IQs like you."

Naruchi sighed. "Are you going to be staying here with us?"

"No, of course not. But technically, you're not even attending school, while I am. I've already got a dorm of my own."

"Well then… uh, you'd better be going. Kousei is one of the calmer ones, and the girls will probably freak out."

"What about Yusei?"

"Yusei… that's strange, he should actually be in his bed right now."

Minato narrowed his eyes, then said, "I'll be going now. See you around Naruchi." The Pikachu quickly turned around and walked out the door without looking back.

Naruchi leaned back on his bed and rubbed his eyes after taking off his eyepiece. _So all three of us are back together again… for better or for worse._

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_December 2__nd__, 2014_

"Kousei and Keira, uh, are you two going to go to the dance together?" asked Saki, trying to start a breakfast conversation.

Kousei looked taken aback, while Keira blushed a little bit. "It's, uh, I don't know…"

Keira gained a sudden interest in her lap. "We've got to know each other pretty well… and Kousei… you're… interesting… but..."

"Hehe! You two are so cute!" Rin giggled like a child. "Why don't you two just start going out? You technically do it most nights!"

Kousei grumbled something about fairy types, and Keira stayed quiet.

"Rin, you're such a fairy… jeez, all you talk about is flirting and stuff… why don't you get a boyfriend or something?" grumbled Saki.

"Why don't you?" retorted Rin.

The two of them bickered awhile more, while Kousei sat next to Keira awkwardly and Naruchi checked his blood pressure on his laptop. Yusei was staring at Rin in a funny way, but Naruchi brushed it off. The Flareon was weird sometimes, plus he had that emotional improvement. Naruchi could never figure out what he was thinking; but he knew that in combat, the Flareon completely changed.

"What do you think Yusei? Who would you rather go out with?"

The Flareon's eyes became wide. "I-Uh, there is no right answer…"

"Well, Rin is rather flat chested, so I think Saki wins there. Though Saki is still a little smaller than Koyuki and Keira," thought Naruchi aloud.

Rin looked at her chest self-consciously. "They're only a bit smaller…" she muttered.

"Well, I mean, some guys are into that kind of thing," added Yusei.

"What's wrong with you guys?" asked Keira. "This conversation is messed up…"

"And what does that have to do with going out with someone?" accused Saki.

"Well, it's common knowledge that those improve your odds of having sex since they're deemed attractive to males. Proven with science."

Saki sighed. "Jeez, you might have surpassed Kousei for the biggest pervert. First the cameras, and now you're the breast expert. Lord Arceus, help us."

Naruchi shrugged. It was just part of who he was. He admitted he was a little bit cocky, but he was confident enough to anything.

These past five minute would later become one of Naruchi's greatest regrets, because he would have realized a blinking light on his eyepiece… which was in his room.

**Sorry for the massive delay. I didn't have a computer all Summer and had to think about the next step in the story. _ Please read and review!**


	16. Ch-15

Chapter 15

_December 4__th__, 2014_

Rin didn't understand what was going on. She didn't understand why Naruchi, Yusei, and herself were all trapped inside a white room. She didn't understand why there were scientists watching them.

Naruchi sat down, his head in his hands. Yusei was sleeping on one of the cots they had laid out.

"Why are we here?" she asked. "We've been here for awhile, but you won't answer my qu-"

Naruchi held up a hand. "Shh. I'm thinking."

"Whatever, government weapon…" At least she hadn't lost her tongue. "But you at least owe me an explanation for what's going here!"

Naruchi shook his head. "I don't know. Yusei and I… well, there is a reason… but for you…" He blinked, then shook his head. "Never mind."

Rin huffed. "I don't know what to say really… first, Ryujin and Koyuki go running off… then the three of us get captured… this makes absolutely no sense." She had never talked much to the Jolteon; he always seemed grumpy and cynical.

"Why don't you try think?" he grumbled. "Rather than just complaining."

"I was thinking! What would they want to do with me?"

"You know, I always picked up something around you… my eyepiece… it… found something interesting about you."

"Interesting? What do you mean?"

The Jolteon looked at her, his green eyes now uncovered by his eyepiece. "Well… I couldn't really find any records on you. All of your information was spontaneously created."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… about seven years ago… there's no documents on you at all up until that point."

Rin paused. "Wait, what? This is news to me…"

Yusei was sitting up too. He looked interested. "Did anything happen to you?"

"I… I…" She blinked. "I… I don't know…" She couldn't explain it. She had never realized it up until now, but… there was something wrong. She had no memories up to that time period. "I remember going to middle school… and my parents… and my…" But before that… now that she thought about it, it felt like there was a void up until then… _What's going on?_

"What's wrong?" asked Yusei, seeming concerned.

She held her head. "Something is wrong… this… this place… it…"

Naruchi started nodding slowly. "I think I get it… I see…"

"What are you saying?" asked Rin. Yusei seemed puzzled as well.

Naruchi snapped his fingers. "Get to it, Yusei."

"Get to what?" he asked.

"Look at her chest."

"What?!" shrieked Rin, her face red. "Wh-wh-what are you saying?"

"You want me to check for the scar? But none of the other girls hav-"

Rin was saved by the opening of the door. "Come out, you three."

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All three of them were led into a large white room; this one was significantly larger than the previous one.

"Two of you know why you are here. The other one probably doesn't."

_Gee, wonder who that is…_ "Just tell us, why are we here?"

One of the scientists looked between Naruchi and Rin puzzled. Then she nodded. "Now I see… neither of them get it." This scientist was a very pretty Gardevoir. "How interesting…"

"What are you saying?" asked Rin.

"You'll find out shortly. In the meantime, please help yourselves to some beverages on the table." She pointed, and immediately left the room.

The three of them sat down on some chairs. "Could you two please tell me what's going on?"

Naruchi, who looked surprisingly normal without all his headpieces and stuff, leaned back on his chair. Next to him, Yusei looked at Rin quietly. "Well, how should I put it? You… me… Yusei… we're all special."

"Special? We are?" She frowned. "Describe special…"

The Jolteon looked at Yusei, then said, "Show her. I guess it's indecent for you to see her chest, so you'll just have to show her your scar."

"Scar? What are you-" The Flareon unbuttoned his shirt, and Rin couldn't speak. A large scar ran down from his chest.

"M-my god… what is that?!"

It looked like it was stitched up, though it was still pronounced. "It's the scar for my heart."

"Your heart? T-that makes no sense!"

"I know it's hard to believe… but with everything that's happened these past two days… maybe it's not so far fetched for you."

Rin shivered. "Please explain, then."

"Yusei and I both have what are known as Model Es. They are mechanical replacements for hearts; they can pump blood better, allowing us to use our powers and bodies to our full abilities."

Rin didn't want to believe it. _Nothing this terrible should exist; these aren't real Pokemon… they are… almost zombies! Androids! Not real! _"No no… that's… not right! That's terrible!"

Yusei took a step forward, but Naruchi didn't do anything.

"Rin… we… we think you might possess a Model E as well…"

"No! That can't be!" Rin felt he chest; there was no raised scar like Yusei's. "No… I don't have a scar…" Her heart… or what she thought was her heart… was pounding.

"That's what you think." Naruchi pulled out his phone. "I've felt electrical currents coming from your body for awhile now. I always felt this sensation around you, but I could never place it. Now I know."

"But there's no scar…"

"We used microfiber technology to stich you up." Two scientists came into the room; the same Gardevoir and an older male Espeon.

Naruchi stiffened. "Y-you…"

"It's nice to meet all of you… all my subjects once again. My name is Kasashi Izaya; or perhaps to you all, Naruchi's father."

The Espeon smiled; it was a disturbing smile, as if he couldn't wait to analyze or dissect them all. "Wh-what are… I'm an andoid?"

"No no. Your brains are all functional. Your hearts still exist; there are just mechanical additions to them."

Rin felt faint. "This… this is… all a dream…"

"We mind wiped you after the big accident with your family." The Gardevoir handed Rin a paper.

"M-mind wipe? This is ridiculous! Fake hearts? Mind wipes? This doesn't exi-" Rin's legs crumpled as electricity coursed its way through her body. She couldn't scream or move. Then it stopped.

"Believe us now?"

Yusei helped her up. "Are you alright?"

Rin couldn't speak. None of the Pokemon had used an attack. _I-impossible…_

"Believe us now?" asked the older Jolteon.

"Dad… don't hurt my… friends!" shouted Naruchi.

Kasashi's eyes became angry. "I would send some pain through your Model E if you hadn't tinkered with the programming. I'll warn you; learn some respect for your father."

Yusei gently held Rin's hand. "I'm sorry… but everything they're saying is true…"

"But… it can't be…" Rin felt herself ready to pass out. "I… I need to rest…" And then whether from the attack internally or this new knowledge, she passed out.

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_What's this feeling… I'm… I'm under the water… it's so calm…_

Rin looked up to see the sun shining above, ripples from the water slightly disturbing the image. _I'm… I don't even know… is this… this must be a memory… but they erased my memories. Unless… _She looked at her hands; she hadn't evolved yet.

Next to her, she saw another Eevee. He was glowing blue, and she realized he was evolving.

Then she was running out of air. Her chest started hurting, and only now did the salt water of the ocean start to sting her eyes. She closed them tightly. _This is just a memory… I can feel everything…_

Then she felt a hand grab hers, but she didn't open her eyes.

_"Sister…"_ She thought she heard a voice. _"I will save you… I promise…"_

And with that, she felt the other Pokemon grab her hand and pull her out of the car.

_"I'm sorry mom and dad…" _He paused briefly, and Rin imagined he was looking at two Pokemon upfront who she hadn't seen the faces to. By now, Rin felt as if her lungs were about to burst. She clutched his hands tighter, and he got the message.

Then everything went black, and suddenly, she was back in the facility. She gasped for air. "Bwah… hah… huh…"

She was lying in a bed; she had a blanket over her, and Yusei sat at the foot of the bed. "Feeling better? You were whimpering in your sleep."

She sat up, and rubbed her eyes. "I'm alright. It's just…"

"It's a lot to take in, I know…" His eyes were sympathetic.

"I want to believe it's not real… but… I know it is. I know my memory has been erased. For some reason, I never really thought back to my past until today… but… I don't remember much until about 8 or so years ago. It's all blank up until then…"

Yusei looked at her eyes intently, and Rin felt herself blush. "Wh-why are you staring at me like that? You're making me feel embarrassed…"

"It's just… I… I don't know anything about you… I already didn't know much, but now…"

Rin looked at the Flareon, and realized she knew extremely little about him. He was in her grade, a good cook, and pretty shy. Not much else she knew. Well, aside from his robotic heart now. Which wasn't too strange, especially since she had one too apparently. Her mind was swirling right now, and she desperately needed somebody to talk to. "I… well… uh, let's talk. I'm so confused right now… maybe a talk might clear my mind."

"Well... uh, what were you dreaming about? It looked as if you were having a nightmare."

Rin thought about what to say. "It was almost like a memory. It was a memory from awhile back; before I had my memory erased. It wasn't anything I remembered before… but I felt like I had experienced it already."

"Experienced what?"

"A… a crash. I was in a car, under the water. The water was salty. Then… then I was saved."

"Saved? By who?"

"I… I think I had a brother."

"A brother… he saved you… was he evolved?"

"I… can't remember. He evolved I think."

"He…" Suddenly, Yusei's eyes became wide. "A car crash… a brother… an eon… there's no doubt…"

"I…" It suddenly hit Rin.

_"I… I had a younger sister. She… she didn't make it through the car crash. I tried saving her, but it didn't… didn't work."_

"You're Ryujin's younger sister. The one who didn't make it."

**"WHAT? NO WAY, NESPIRIT, NO WAY!"-All you readers(hopefully)**

**Yes. Planned:P And be ready, because I've got some tricks in store still!**


	17. Ch-16

Chapter 16

Rin didn't say anything. She just sat there staring at Yusei blankly.

"Rin… if you are Ryujin-senpai's sister… why would they give you a Model E though?"

"I…" She was still trying to digest this new information. She knew it shouldn't be true; she shouldn't be so quick to accept. But she had felt the familiarity of her brother's voice. "I don't know. Where's Naruchi? There's some things I should ask him…"

"With his father. I don't know… its been about two hours or so."

"Can the Model E resurrect a Pokemon? Like save one who died?"

"I think so. They cut open my chest, and that would have killed me. So I probably was dead for a period of time."

Rin put together the pieces of the puzzle. She had never remembered anything before, and her vision had blacked out. "So they revived me with the Model E. And erased my memory…" Enough had happened today, so she just sighed, not thinking too much about questioning it.

Yusei moved closer to her, and Rin lay down flat, her feet hanging off the side of the bed. "Thank you…"

"For what?"

"For helping me realize all this stuff."

Yusei rubbed the back of his neck. "It's no problem." He sat up. "Well, ready?"

"Ready?" She blinked. "For what?"

"Surgery."

"What do you mean?"

"They're going to re-equip our Model Es."

"For what?"

"I don't know… Naruchi-"

"Naruchi is going to be gone for a little while." Professor Kasashi walked in through the doorway. His coat trailed behind him. "We're going to recalibrate his Model E."

"Is he going to be alright?" asked Rin nervously.

"He will be fine. They're just a few… upgrades…" The Espeon murmured something under his breath. "It seems we need to take better care of those who we choose in order to make the upgrades… worthwhile. After all… you are all designed for specific purposes."

"What do you mean? Rin may have a Model E, but she's not part of the program. You leave her alone no… nngh…" Yusei suddenly collapsed, and rolled on his side.

"Yusei!" Rin quickly knelt down, and luckily, the Flareon was alright. "Why are you doing this?"

The Espeon chuckled. "It's to help the world progress. With a more powerful race of Pokemon, the world will evolve to fight or become like them. The most powerful of us all will be the only ones to live. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Rin lifted up Yusei's head, and he groaned. "You're crazy… Naruchi may be short tempered, but he's not crazy."

"Leave Yusei alone… he… he doesn't deserve this. He's the gentlest Pokemon I know!" said Rin.

"You know that the ones that seem gentle are often the most dangerous."

"I never hurt anyone…" The Flareon pulled himself to his feet. "But you hurt Naruchi. He's confident now, but think about all the killing he's done here and overseas. I'm sure he still thinks about it." The Flareon paused. "Don't you have any remorse for modifying a Pokemon, let alone your son? Forcing him to go through that psychological trauma?"

"He's the future. He's the smartest of you all and soon… he'll forget emotion completely."

"You're… a monster…" gasped Rin. "You're going to erase his mind?"

The Espeon snapped his fingers. "You catch on quick, Sylveon. Yes. We're in the process of doing it now. The next time you see him, he probably won't remember you. He'll need to be trained to become what we need him to, but it's sort of a reset button if you may. You two probably need that much more, but we'll only use him for now."

He was already walking away. Yusei quickly turned to Rin. "We have to stop them!"

"I…"

"Rin… he's been my best friend. I can't let him become a monster like his father. I don't think I can do this alone."

Rin nodded. "Of course. But is it done yet?"

"It should take a little while longer for them to finish it. We have maybe 15 or so minutes… I hope… If only we had more time… Ryujin was really good at planning, but I don't know about this kind of stuff. What's your moveset?"

"Moonblast, Charm, Psyshock, and Rest."

"Hmm… I know Flare Blitz, Will-O-Wisp, Swagger, and Iron Tail…"

"Maybe moves aren't the way to go. We've got other things at our disposal. You're physically strong, right?"

He looked a little embarrassed. "I guess… that was one of my enhancements."

"We'll use that to our advantage too. But what about our Model Es… they can cripple us at will with it." Rin and Yusei stood there for a few seconds, thinking.

"I've got a plan," he said finally. "You're not going to like it, but we've got to hurry."

"I…" He was already heading down the hall.

She ran after the Flareon.

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The two burst into the room where they were operating on Naruchi's Model E. Naruchi's father was nowhere to be seen.

"Stop! Leave him alone!" shouted Yusei, pushing them away. Most of the researchers fell to the ground, away from the unconscious Jolteon.

"What are you doing?!"

While she didn't want to do it, she knew that using one of her fairy abilities would distract them long enough. Yusei had pleaded with her. She used Charm, and suddenly, a bunch of creeps were after her. "Hurry up Yusei! These perverts are after me!" She felt a hand touch her leg, and she quickly kicked it away. "Get off."

Yusei typed some things into the computer, then quickly unplugged the cord connecting the Model E, and lifted the unconscious Naruchi off the table.

"Come on, Rin! Let's get out of here!"

Rin half expected an alarm to go on or something, but nothing happened as they ran down along the mirrored hallway. Of course, standing in front of the door would be none other than the crazed Espeon. "Well well…" He pressed a button. "You first, Sylveon."

Rin expected to feel the immense pain, but it never came. Yusei had stepped in front of her and block it, though his body shook in pain. He dropped the Jolteon, though he seemed okay. "R-Rin… attack him." His voice sounded very weak, and Rin knew what to do.

"Eat a Moonblast, you maniac!" she screamed, venting her frustration at everything that she had learned. His eyes were wide as it hit him in the face, and he dropped the switch, which cracked on the floor.

He fell to the ground, bleeding from the blast of energy. Much to her surprise, he stood up. "Huh, I should expect nothing less from one of my experiments." He wiped some blood off his face, and adjusted his lab coat. "But I've been changing myself as well." He waved his hand and all three of them were launched backwards.

"Urf…" Rin held her stomach. "That hurt…"

Naruchi had seemed to regain consciousness, and unsteadily hobbled to his feet. The three of them stood there, facing the bloody Espeon. "You should all just give in. You're the future of the world, and I have no intent to let you go easy."

"My dad has heavy regenerative properties." The Jolteon's eyes were tired, and he was clutching one of his arms. "You're going to need some sort of direct blade to stop him. We don't have anything right now."

"I…" Rin suddenly remembered. The night with the mirrors. "Yusei… the mirrors… remember how we all agreed it was just a hallucination?"

"Yeah… I…" He paused. "We all agreed not to talk about it… so you're saying…"

"Let's pass through the mirror. It's probably our best shot."

"I can't feel my arm…" murmured Naruchi, who looked very sleepy now. "Where's my eyepiece…?"

Yusei picked him up. "We'll pass through where his dad won't see us." They turned around a corner.

As if on cue, the mirror shimmered. "I don't really see much choice," said Rin, and she slowly pushed into the mirror.

A few moments later, Yusei and Naruchi passed through. "So we're either hallucinating again, or…"

"The mirror again… interesting…" Naruchi was looking even worse.

"We should rest here," said Yusei. "He's lost some blood, and he'll need some time to recover."

Rin looked at the Jolteon, whose chest was leaking blood. Luckily, Yusei had picked up his shirt, but she wasn't too sure about how water worked in this new alternate reality. "Uh…"

"We'll just let him rest," said Yusei. "He is designed to regenerate slowly. He'll probably be okay within a few hours."

"You're a good friend to him," said Rin.

"Yeah… well, he's always been there with me, though I hadn't seen him for a few years before. I always looked up to him before, and I know about what he was forced to do. It's respect more than anything."

She chuckled. "Not Yaoi?"

"Hey, I'm straight. I know that much."

"Oh really? How do you know?"

He looked at her, then said, "I think you're cute… is that enough?"

She blinked, then realized what he had said. "Oh…"

He raised his hands up. "I-I'm sorry! That wasn't appropriate…"

"No, it's fine. I always thought I'd know what to say in this situation, but… well, I don't." She blushed. "You've always been a nice guy… more friendly than Ryujin and not a pervert like Kousei or Naruchi. So… I guess you're cute too?"

"Okay." The two sat there in awkward silence. "Umm…" Yusei picked up a small pebble on the ground, and began tossing it. "How has all this knowledge come to you? Have you accepted it?"

She nodded. "So much has happened… I've really had no choice but to accept it. And there is other proof as well."

"I see…" The Flareon looked away. "I need some time to cool off." He stood up. "My chest is a little sore from the Model E. Can you look after Naruchi?"

"Alright." Once the Flareon walked off, Rin began to think. _So he does like me. I thought he had a thing for me a little while back, but I never expected him to muster up the courage to say it._ She sat next to Naruchi, who was scabbing over where they had changed the Model E. _I wonder… what do I say next though? What's the next step? He told me he likes me… I sort of like him… what now?_ She huffed. "Come on. You're a fairy. You're supposed to be good at this kind of stuff."

"I don't know what you're muttering, but it's annoying me," grumbled Naruchi.

"Gah! You heard what I was saying?"

"Something about fairies. Whatever."

"You sure recovered quick."

"Mph. I still feel terrible though. Can you get me something to drink, Rin?"

"I'll go look around. Just stay here, okay?"

"What does that mean?" he said dryly. "It's not like I'm feeling like running around."

"It's good to see you're okay. Just let me get some water." She realized that they had appeared in the same laboratory, but it was pretty much completely deserted now. "Naruchi, we're in the mirror world. Is the water here… uh, safe to drink?"

He groaned. "I'm really thirsty though. Did you have your heart ripped out?"

She huffed. "Whatever. Give me a second to get some water."

**So… they're in the mirror world now. What about Kousei, Keira, Minato, and Saki? We'll see. Next should be Ryujin though. Please read and review!**


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